[AT] This might come in handy while shopping for tractor parts

[Jeff & Ginny Pomije]

I'm not a barcode expert, but this does not follow what I know of 
barcodes.  I am an e-tailer and sell horse related items.  I have two 
items in front of me now that do not follow the information below.  One 
item is made in China, the other in Taiwan.  Both barcodes begin with 
754.  It is my understanding that generally the first few numbers of a 
barcode are a prefix that is assigned to a company.  That company then 
owns that prefix (as long as they pay their dues)  and all of the 
barcodes that can be generated using the prefix.  I say generally 
because there are some companies that own a number of prefixes who 
re-sell small blocks of barcodes using that prefix to smaller companies 
who are unable to afford the yearly expense of buying a prefix and 
paying the yearly subscription costs.

The company I am purchasing from is an American company who has products 
made for them overseas.  If the information below has any validity, the 
prefix more likely reflects the country in which the product 
owner/distributor is located and not the country where the product was 
manufactured.

Here is page that supports this: 
http://www.wikihow.com/Read-12-Digit-UPC-Barcodes.  It says "UPC 
Barcodes are typically registered and used in the United States and 
Canada and, therefore, do not indicate a /country identifier."/

Jeff Pomije
Big Black Horse LLC



On 1/19/2011 6:51 AM, charlie hill wrote:
> I got this from a friend.  Haven't confirmed the accuracy
>
>
> This is very interesting&  good to know!
> YOU MAY LIKE TO READ THE LABELS ON THE FOODS YOU BUY--NO MATTER WHAT THE
> FRONT OF THE BOX OR PACKAGE SAYS, TURN IT OVER AND READ THE
> BACK---CAREFULLY!
> With all the food and pet products now coming from China , it is best to
> make sure you read labels at the grocery store and especially Wal-Mart when
> buying food products.
> Many products no longer show where they were made, only give where the
> distributor is located. It is important to read the bar code to track it's
> origin.
> How to read Bar Codes .... interesting!
> This may be useful to know when grocery shopping, if it's a concern to you.
> GREAT WAY TO "BUY USA&   CANADA " AND NOT FROM  CHINA!!
>
>
>
> The whole world is afraid of China-made "black hearted goods".
>
> Can you differentiate which one is made in Taiwan or  China ?
>
> If the first 3 digits of the barcode are 690, 691  or 692, the product is
> MADE IN CHINA.
> 471 is Made in  Taiwan .
>
> This is our right to know, but the government and related departments never
> educate the public, therefore we have to educate ourselves.
>
> Nowadays, Chinese businessmen know that consumers do not prefer products
> "MADE IN CHINA ", so they don't show from which country it is made.
>
> However, you may now refer to the barcode -remember if the first 3 digits
> are for China&  Taiwan , and most other countries have 2 digits:
>
> 00 - 09 ...   USA&   CANADA
> 690-691-692 ... MADE IN  CHINA
> 471  ... Made in TAIWAN
> 49 ... JAPAN
> 30 - 37 ...   FRANCE
> 40 - 44 ...   GERMANY
> 50 ...   UK
>
> BUY USA&  CANADIAN MADE by watching for "0"
> at the beginning of the number which is USA and “09” is Canada .
>
>
> We need every boost we can get!
>
>
>
>
>
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