Terms and Conditions

 

Last updated: October 2026

Before you buy: please read this.

Retailers, marketplaces and distributors set their own barcode rules. A small number accept only barcodes issued directly by GS1, and their rules can change. We list the restrictions we know about on our Barcode Acceptance page, but you need to check the requirements of every retailer or platform you plan to sell through before you order. We cannot guarantee that any particular retailer will accept our barcodes.

Our Products and Services are supplied for business use only — to identify products and services that you sell, supply or distribute. By ordering, you confirm you are buying for that purpose (see clause 3).

1. About these terms

1.1 These terms apply to every purchase of products and services from this website, and to your use of the website and the Barcodes Customer Portal.

1.2 The website is operated by International Barcodes Limited trading as Buy Barcodes Ireland (New Zealand company number 4564479, NZBN 9429030122956, 2C Handley Avenue, Devonport, Auckland 0624, New Zealand (“we“, “us“, “our“). You can contact us at [email protected] or +64 9 445 1296.

1.3 These terms include the following policies, which form part of your agreement with us:

• Refund Policy
• What We Guarantee
• Privacy Policy
• Fair Use Policy (applies if you use our Dynamic QR Code or 2D barcode services)

If any of those policies conflict with these terms, these terms apply.

1.4 By placing an order, you confirm that you have read and accept these terms. If you are ordering on behalf of a company or other organisation, you confirm that you are authorised to accept these terms on its behalf.

2. Key definitions

In these terms:

• “Barcode Number” means a GTIN (including a UPC-A, EAN-13, ITF-14 or GLN number) that we assign to you.
• “Barcode Files” means the barcode images, guarantee certificate and other digital files we supply with a Barcode Number.
• “Non-Excludable Rights” means any right, guarantee or remedy under the Fair Trading Act 1986 or any other law (including the consumer law of another country) that cannot lawfully be excluded, restricted or modified by contract.
• “Order” means an order you place through the website, by email, or by accepting a written quote from us.
• “Portal” means the Barcodes Customer Portal and any other online account area we provide.
• “Products” means Barcode Numbers, Barcode Files, labels and any other goods we supply.
• “Services” means barcode registration, verification, artwork testing and creation, Dynamic QR Code Services, and any other services we supply.
• “Dynamic QR Code Services” means QR codes and 2D barcodes whose destination or content we host or redirect on an ongoing basis.

3. Business use only

3.1 Our Products and Services are designed and supplied for business use: identifying goods and services that are sold, supplied or distributed in trade. They are not goods or services of a kind ordinarily acquired for personal, domestic or household use or consumption.

3.2 By placing an Order, you confirm that you are acquiring the Products and Services in trade, for a business (including a sole trader, start-up, self-publisher or other small business), and not for personal, domestic or household use.

3.3 Accordingly, the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 does not apply to your purchase. To the extent that it would otherwise apply, you and we agree under section 43(2) of that Act that it does not apply, and that this is fair and reasonable given the nature of the Products and Services, their low one-off price, the information we publish about barcode acceptance before purchase, and the guarantees we give in clause 11.

3.4 To the extent permitted by section 5C of the Fair Trading Act 1986, you and we agree that sections 9, 12A, 13 and 14(1) of that Act do not apply to your purchase, and that this is fair and reasonable for the reasons in clause 3.3.

3.5 Nothing in these terms excludes, restricts or modifies any Non-Excludable Rights. Where a Non-Excludable Right applies, our liability for breaching it is limited, to the extent the law allows, to supplying the Products or Services again or refunding the price paid for them.

4. Using the website and the Portal

4.1 You must keep your Portal login details secure and tell us promptly if you think someone else has accessed your account. You are responsible for activity in your account.

4.2 You must not use the website or Portal to break the law, to interfere with their operation, or to upload content that is unlawful, misleading, or infringes anyone’s rights.

4.3 We try to keep the website accurate and available, but it may occasionally contain errors or be unavailable for maintenance or reasons outside our control. Information on the website about barcodes and retailer requirements is general guidance only.

5. Orders

5.1 A contract between you and us is formed when we send you an order confirmation or deliver the Products or Services to you, whichever happens first.

5.2 We may decline an order before a contract is formed, for example if a price on the website was clearly wrong or we cannot fulfil it. If we decline an order after you have paid, we will refund you in full.

5.3 Please check your Order carefully before submitting it, especially product quantities and the details you give us for barcode registration, labels or artwork.

6. Prices and payment

6.1 Prices are shown in EUR and exclude VAT where applicable. The price you pay is the price shown when you place your Order, unless we have agreed another price in writing. Products and Services supplied to customers outside New Zealand are supplied by International Barcodes Limited, a New Zealand company trading as Buy Barcodes Ireland. They are zero-rated for New Zealand GST if you are a business located outside New Zealand. You are responsible for accounting for any VAT, GST or similar tax payable in your country under a reverse-charge or self-assessment mechanism (for example, UK or EU VAT or Australian GST rules), where applicable.

6.2 If a price shown on the website is obviously wrong, we will contact you before processing the Order. You can then pay the correct price or cancel for a full refund.

6.3 You can pay by credit card, debit card, PayPal or bank transfer. Card payments are processed by our secure PCI DSS-compliant payment processors (including credit cards, PayPal, and bank transfer). We do not store your full card details.

6.4 You must pay in full, by card, PayPal or bank transfer, before we deliver Products or start Services.

7. Delivery

7.1 We deliver Barcode Numbers and Barcode Files by email and through the Portal. Retail barcode packages ordered online are usually delivered automatically within a few minutes. Other Products and Services are usually delivered within 2 business days, and we will tell you if something will take longer.

7.2 If you have not received your Order within the expected timeframe, please check your spam folder and then contact us.

7.3 Delivery times for physical products, such as printed labels, are estimates and depend on couriers and other factors outside our control.

7.4 Ownership of a physical product passes to you when you have paid for it in full. Risk passes to you when it is delivered.

8. Your Barcode Numbers

8.1 When you have paid for a Barcode Number, we assign it to you, and you have the exclusive and permanent right to use it to identify your products. There are no annual or renewal fees.

8.2 Our Barcode Numbers originate from numbers issued by the Uniform Code Council (now GS1 US). Buying from us does not make you a member of GS1, and your Barcode Numbers will not show your company’s name in GS1’s own databases. Barcode Numbers begin with the prefix they were originally issued under (for example, 06 or 07), not the prefix for your country. The prefix shows where the number was issued, not where the product was made.

8.3 Once we assign a Barcode Number to you, we will not assign it to anyone else, except where it has been refunded and cancelled under clause 12.

8.4 You may use your Barcode Numbers on your own products and on products you arrange to have made for you. You may transfer Barcode Numbers to another person, for example if you sell your business or a product line, by giving us written notice so we can update our registry records.

9. Your responsibilities

9.1 Before ordering, you are responsible for checking whether the retailers, marketplaces and distributors you plan to supply have specific barcode requirements, and whether our Products meet them.

9.2 Before printing a barcode on packaging or labels, you are responsible for:

(a) checking that you are using the correct Barcode Number for each product;

(b) following the size, colour and placement guidelines we provide; and

(c) test-scanning a printed proof. We can arrange independent verification if a retailer requires it.

9.3 We supply correctly formatted Barcode Files, but we cannot control how they are printed. We are not responsible for scanning problems caused by printing, resizing, colour changes or placement, unless the problem was caused by an error in the files we supplied.

9.4 You are responsible for the accuracy and lawfulness of any information you give us, including product details for registration and the content or destination of any QR code.

10. Services

10.1 Registration. If you register your products on the International Barcodes Database, the product and company information you provide will be publicly visible and may appear in barcode scanning apps and search results. Only provide information you are happy to make public. You can ask us to update or remove it at any time.

10.2 Verification and artwork. Verification reports assess the barcode sample you provide when it is tested. Later print runs may produce different results.

10.3 Dynamic QR Code Services.

(a) Dynamic QR Code Services are provided for two (2) years (and renewable for longer periods) and are subject to the Fair Use Policy.

(b) We will use reasonable efforts to keep redirects and hosted content available, but we do not guarantee uninterrupted availability.

(c) We may suspend a QR code that points to unlawful, harmful or misleading content, or that breaches the Fair Use Policy. Where practical, we will contact you first.

(d) If a subscription expires and is not renewed, the QR code will stop redirecting. We will give you at least 30 days’ advance notice by email before your subscription expires. We will also give you at least 30 days’ notice by email before a paid Dynamic QR Code Service stops working for any other reason, other than your non-payment or breach of these terms.

10.4 Third-party platforms. Some Services rely on third parties, such as scanning apps, marketplaces and hosting providers. We are not responsible for how those third parties display, use or accept barcode information.

11. What we guarantee

11.1 We guarantee that:

(a) each Barcode Number we assign to you is unique, and has not previously been assigned by the International Barcodes Network or us to anyone else;

(b) each Barcode Number originates from numbers issued by the Uniform Code Council (now GS1 US);

(c) the Barcode Files we supply correctly encode your Barcode Number and meet the relevant GS1 symbol specifications when printed at the recommended size; and

(d) we will provide Services with reasonable care and skill.

11.2 If we breach a guarantee in clause 11.1, we will, at our option, replace the affected Barcode Number or Barcode Files, re-perform the Service, or refund what you paid for the affected item. Subject to clause 3.5 and clause 13.1, this is your only remedy for a breach of clause 11.1.

11.3 We do not guarantee that any particular retailer, marketplace or distributor will accept our Barcode Numbers (see the notice at the top of these terms and clause 9.1).

12. Refunds and cancellations

12.1 Why change-of-mind refunds aren’t available. Barcode Numbers are digital products that are assigned to you and delivered immediately. Once we assign a number, we cannot safely reuse it because we cannot confirm whether it has already been used on a product. For this reason, we do not offer refunds if you change your mind or order more numbers than you need.

12.2 When we will refund. We will refund the price you paid for Barcode Numbers if:

(a) we breach a guarantee in clause 11.1 and cannot fix the problem under clause 11.2;

(b) a retailer that is not listed on our Barcode Acceptance page at the time of your purchase refuses to accept our Barcode Numbers, and you give us written confirmation of this from the retailer within 30 days of your purchase; or

(c) we are otherwise required to by law.

12.3 Cancelled numbers. If we refund Barcode Numbers, we will cancel those numbers and mark them in our database as not to be used on products. You must not use them after a refund.

12.4 Printed labels. If physical printed adhesive labels arrive damaged, misprinted or defective because of an error on our part, we will replace them free of charge or refund the price you paid for them, provided you tell us within 30 days of delivery. Because printed labels are customised goods made to your Order, they are not refundable if we print them accurately according to the numbers or specifications you supplied.

12.5 Services. You may cancel a Service that has not yet started for a full refund. If a Service has started, we will refund any part of the price for work not yet done.

12.6 Non-Excludable Rights. This clause 12 does not limit any Non-Excludable Rights.

13. Limits on our liability

13.1 Nothing in these terms limits or excludes:

(a) any Non-Excludable Rights (subject to the limitation of remedies in clause 3.5, where the law allows it);

(b) liability that cannot be limited by law; or

(c) liability for fraud or wilful misconduct.

13.2 Subject to clause 13.1, neither you nor we will be liable to the other for any indirect or consequential loss, or for loss of profits, revenue, business or goodwill, arising out of these terms or the Products or Services, however it is caused. Under no circumstances are we liable for product recalls, transport costs, loss of retail shelf space, or retailer non-compliance fines or penalties.

13.3 Subject to clause 13.1, our total liability to you arising out of an Order, whether in contract, tort (including negligence) or otherwise, is limited to the greater of the amount you paid for that Order and €500 (or NZ$500). Even if the costs of repackaging, relabelling, or reprinting packaging or stock are treated as direct loss, our liability is strictly limited to that amount.

13.4 We are not liable for loss caused by a retailer, marketplace or distributor refusing our Barcode Numbers, or by printing or labelling problems described in clause 9.3, except where clause 12.2 applies.

14. Intellectual property

14.1 We (or our licensors) own the intellectual property in the website, the Portal, our software, and our written guides and content. You may use them only for buying and using our Products and Services.

14.2 You keep ownership of the information and content you give us. You allow us to store, display and use that content to provide the Services, including publishing registration information under clause 10.1 and hosting QR code content under clause 10.3.

15. Privacy

15.1 We collect, use and store personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy and the Privacy Act 2020.

15.2 Card payments are processed securely by our secure PCI DSS-compliant payment processors (including credit cards, PayPal, and bank transfer). We do not store full card numbers on our systems.

16. Events outside our control

Neither of us is liable for a delay or failure to perform our obligations (other than an obligation to pay) caused by events outside our reasonable control, such as natural disasters, pandemics, war, cyber attacks, failures of internet or hosting providers, or government action. The affected party must promptly notify the other party and take reasonable steps to limit the impact.

17. Suspension and termination

17.1 We may suspend or close your Portal account, or suspend a Service, if you seriously or repeatedly breach these terms or fail to pay an overdue amount after we have given you written notice and a reasonable opportunity to pay.

17.2 Suspension or termination does not affect your right to keep using Barcode Numbers you have paid for, unless they have been refunded and cancelled under clause 12.3.

18. Changes to these terms

18.1 We may update these terms from time to time, for example to reflect changes in the law or in our Products and Services. The version that applies to an Order is the version published on the website when you placed that Order.

18.2 For ongoing Services, we will give you at least 30 days’ notice by email of any change that materially affects you. If you don’t agree with the change, you can cancel the affected Service before the change takes effect and receive a pro-rata refund of any amount you have prepaid for the period after cancellation.

19. Complaints, disputes and governing law

19.1 If you have a problem, please get in touch with us first at [email protected]. We will acknowledge your complaint within 2 business days and try to resolve it within 10 business days.

19.2 These terms are governed by New Zealand law. Each of us submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the New Zealand courts, including the Disputes Tribunal.

19.3 Any claim or proceedings arising out of or in connection with these terms, an Order, or the Products or Services must be brought in New Zealand, and you agree not to bring them in a court or tribunal in any other country, except to the extent that a Non-Excludable Right entitles you to do so.

20. General

20.1 Notices. We may send you notices by email to the address in your Order or account. You may send notices to us at [email protected] or to our postal address in clause 1.2. An email is treated as received at the time it enters the recipient’s server, unless the sender receives notice that it was not delivered.

20.2 Severability. If any part of these terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the rest of these terms continue to apply.

20.3 No waiver. If either of us does not enforce a right under these terms straight away, that does not mean the right has been given up.

20.4 Assignment. You may not transfer your rights under these terms except as allowed by clause 8.4. We may transfer our rights and obligations to a buyer of all or part of our business, provided your rights under these terms are not reduced.

20.5 Third parties. Nobody other than you and us has any right to enforce these terms under subpart 1 of Part 2 of the Contract and Commercial Law Act 2017.

20.6 Entire agreement. These terms, the policies listed in clause 1.3, your Order and any written quote we have accepted form the entire agreement between us about your Order. This clause does not limit any Non-Excludable Rights.