For years, many have been wondering if it is really that important for a UPC's company prefix to match the company of the manufacturer. Online, there is so much misinformation, that it is difficult to determine who is telling the truth. While some have had negative experiences with non-direct GS1 UPC codes, it isn't as easy to determine the actual GS1 legitimacy of the codes, as most unhappy UPC code purchasers tend to buy large volumes from suppliers on eBay, however; usually the reason they are unhappy is because the codes purchased do not actually belong to a designated GS1 UPC company prefix/range.

Some companies stand by their UPC codes, saying that codes purchased from them, "can be used on Amazon, eBay, iTunes, and more." They even say that the codes are GS1-Verified, and that the company offers a, "money back guarantee within 30 days." The company prefix would register as something other than the official company name. Try searching for UPCs of products around the home or office using GS1's official GTIN search tool, available at: http://gepir.gs1.org/index.php/search-by-gtin.

Further research shows that while many commercial product UPC company prefixes do match the manufacturer name, however; some exceptions to that fact are with Walmart's generic stationery, in which the company prefix points to a company written completely in Chinese. Sometimes different UPCs are given to products based on the owner at the time or the distributor, as many product UPCs at Dollar Tree have Dollar Tree company prefixes, regardless of the brand being Jot, Greenbrier International, Inc. (in the US), or DTSC Imports (in Canada). With music, oftentimes a large company owns UPCs for countless albums. While discounted barcodes might lack some of the authenticity of direct GS1 UPCs, there is no guarantee of needing every product UPC to be a direct GS1 code. When the situation happens where a direct GS1 UPC code with an official company prefix is needed, such a code can be purchased.