EAN Codes for bol.com: Rules, Branded vs Unbranded, Errors

To sell a product on bol.com you need a valid EAN (or an ISBN for books), and for branded products bol.com requires an EAN registered with GS1 to you from the moment you add the item. For unbranded items bol.com says that it does "not yet enforce" GS1 registration (checked October 2026), so a valid, unique EAN from another source currently works there, though that rule may change.

That is the short answer. The longer answer matters just as much, because bol.com works differently from your own webshop. One EAN creates one shared product page, every seller of the identical item must use that same EAN, and other sellers can compete with you for the koopblok (bol.com's buy box) on a page you created. This guide explains the rules in bol.com's own words, what "branded" and "unbranded" mean in practice, why you see "EAN already in use", when a product change needs a new EAN, and how to protect a listing.

The article is written for sellers in the Netherlands and Belgium, so Dutch terms appear where you will meet them in the bol.com seller dashboard. If you are new to barcodes, start with our guide what an EAN code is and how it is built, then come back here.

What bol.com's EAN rule says, word for word

bol.com publishes its EAN policy on the partner platform, the help site for sellers (in Dutch: verkopen via bol, and sellers are called partners). The page is available in Dutch and in an English/German version. As of October 2026 it contains four statements that every seller should know.

1. A code is required. "To offer an item via bol, you need a valid, registered ISBN or EAN/GTIN."
2. Branded items need GS1. "For branded items, it is mandatory to use an EAN registered with GS1", and the code must be registered from the moment you add the item.
3. Unbranded items are not checked yet. "Currently, we do not yet enforce unregistered EANs for unbranded items."
4. Intermediaries are your responsibility. If you buy codes from an intermediary, bol.com asks you to "always check whether the purchased EAN codes are actually registered with GS1", and it recommends buying directly from GS1.

Two more rules on the same page shape everything else in this article. An EAN "is linked to a specific item and can only be used for that item", and "you may not offer identical items under different EANs… Not even from different seller accounts." We come back to both below.

What "registered with GS1" means here

GS1 is the international non-profit that manages the barcode number system. You join the GS1 organisation in your country, receive a licence to a range of numbers, and your company is listed as the owner of those numbers in GS1's global registry, which anyone can search through Verified by GS1 (the old GEPIR lookup now redirects there). When bol.com says "registered with GS1", it means that this registry links the EAN to the company that sells the branded product.

A number can be perfectly valid, with 13 digits and a correct check digit, and still not be registered to you. That difference is the heart of bol.com's rule.

Branded or unbranded: which category is your product?

bol.com's rule splits products into two groups, so the first practical question is which group you are in. In Dutch, sellers describe unbranded goods as merkloos, which literally means "brandless". You will see the word in seller forums, in Dutch guides and in keyword searches such as "ean code merkloos bol.com".

bol.com's EAN page does not give a detailed definition, so the table below is practical guidance rather than official policy. When in doubt, assume a product is branded, because that is the stricter rule.

The private-label trap

Many sellers import a generic product, add their own logo to the packaging and think of it as "unbranded" because they are not a famous brand. For bol.com that is a branded product. Your logo is the brand, and your brand needs a GS1 EAN registered to your company. The same logic applies on Amazon, where reseller codes on brand listings fail GS1's brand check; our article on EAN codes for Amazon, GTIN exemptions and Brand Registry covers that marketplace.

The opposite case is a seller who really does sell generic goods: a candle seller offering plain white pillar candles in three sizes with no name anywhere, or a shop selling standard cable ties. Those are the products for which bol.com's unbranded exception exists.

Can you start unbranded and add a brand later?

You can, but plan for it. A change of primary brand is one of GS1's reasons for a new GTIN, and bol.com says it follows GS1 policy on product changes. So the day you put a brand on your candles, you should expect to need a new EAN, and in that case a GS1 one. Your old unbranded page does not become a branded page. You start a new product page and lose the reviews that sit on the old one. If a brand is on your roadmap within a year or so, it is usually cheaper and simpler to start with GS1 codes straight away.

Do you need GS1 codes for bol.com, and what do they cost?

For branded items the answer is yes. For unbranded items it is "not at the moment", with the date stamp above. GS1 Nederland puts it more broadly on its own site: "The major stores and webshops such as bol.com and amazon only accept GS1 article codes". That is GS1's claim and goes further than bol.com's written rule for unbranded items, but it is a fair warning about the direction of travel.

GS1 Nederland fees for small sellers

GS1 Nederland publishes its prices in a fee chart (amounts excluding VAT, no year printed on the page, so check the current figures before you order):

In practice, a small Dutch seller pays about €89 per year for 10 codes or about €120 per year for 100 codes. The contribution rises with turnover and different rules apply to foreign companies, so Belgian sellers should check the GS1 organisation for their own country. The important difference with a one-off purchase: you keep the right to use GS1 numbers only while you keep paying. GS1 licences are personal and cannot be transferred or resold.

For a fuller comparison of GS1 membership across countries and buying codes from a reseller, see how to get EAN codes: GS1 vs a reseller.

When a reseller code is a reasonable choice on bol.com

For genuinely unbranded products, a valid and unique EAN-13 from a reseller currently meets bol.com's rule. That is where codes from GTINcodes.com fit: valid EAN-13 numbers from GTINcodes' stock, issued once and registered to you in the GTINcodes register. They are not part of a GS1 membership held by you, and they will not show your company in Verified by GS1. Searched there, a reseller code shows the original licence holder or no data at all, not the buyer. If bol.com tightens its rule for unbranded items, those codes would no longer be accepted for new bol.com listings, so weigh that risk against the lower cost.

Shared product pages: why other sellers can sell on "your" EAN

This surprises almost every new bol.com seller. On your own webshop, your EAN is just a field in your product data. On bol.com, the EAN is the product page.

How a bol.com product page is created

1. The first seller who lists an EAN creates the product on bol.com: title, description, images, attributes.
2. bol.com stores that content under the EAN and gives it an internal bol Product ID, the BPID. bol.com can merge several EANs of one product, such as different pack sizes or regional versions, under one BPID (bol.com Retailer API docs).
3. Any other partner who sells the identical item must use the same EAN. Their offer is added to the existing page.
4. All offers on the page compete for the koopblok, the "buy block" holding the offer that most customers buy from when they press the order button. The other offers remain available on the page as alternatives.

bol.com's rule is explicit: you may not offer identical items under different EANs, not even from different seller accounts. That rule stops sellers from creating duplicate pages to escape competition. It also means that owning or having bought an EAN gives you no exclusivity on bol.com. If another seller has the identical product, bol.com expects them to sell it on your page.

What the koopblok competition means for you

If you sell a product that is truly unique to you, such as your own design, nobody else has the identical item and nobody can legitimately join the page. Problems start when:

• you sell a generic item that many importers stock, so other sellers can honestly join "your" page;
• a competitor sells a similar but different product on your EAN, which is not allowed; or
• the EAN you used was already linked to another product, so your item lands on someone else's page or gets refused.

The first case is normal marketplace competition. The second and third are problems you can act on, and the next sections explain how.

"EAN already in use" on bol.com: causes and fixes

Sellers search for "ean code al in gebruik bol.com" (EAN already in use) more than for almost any other bol.com barcode problem. The message can show up when you add a new offer, when your upload is processed, or as a mismatch when bol.com compares your data with the product that already exists on that EAN. The causes fall into a few groups.

Codes that were sold twice

The most painful version of "already in use" comes from codes that were sold to more than one buyer. Sellers on other marketplaces have reported exactly this after buying cheap EAN lists online: the codes were also sold to other people, and their products ended up attached to strangers' listings. When you buy from any reseller, ask whether each number is issued only once and whether there is a register you can check. GTINcodes.com issues each number once and records it against the buyer, and anyone can look a code up on our check page.

Five checks before you list a new EAN on bol.com

1. Length and check digit. An EAN-13 has 13 digits and the last one is calculated from the first twelve. Use the calculator below or read how the EAN check digit works.
2. No restricted prefix. Numbers starting with 02, 04 or 2 are reserved for in-store and internal use, 977 to 979 are for magazines and books, and 98 and 99 are for coupons and receipts. None of these belong on a normal product.
3. Search bol.com. Paste the EAN into the bol.com search bar. If a product appears, decide whether it is your identical item (join the page) or something else (do not use the code).
4. Search Verified by GS1. For a branded product, the result should show your company. For a reseller code, expect the original licence holder or no data, which is normal but means the code is only suitable for unbranded items.
5. Keep a record. Note which code went to which product and on which date. A simple spreadsheet is enough, and it is gold in a dispute.

A worked example

Take the illustrative number 871234567890 (twelve digits, not a real product). Multiply the digits alternately by 1 and 3 from the left: 8, 21, 1, 6, 3, 12, 5, 18, 7, 24, 9, 0. They add up to 114. The next multiple of ten is 120, so the check digit is 6 and the full EAN is 8712345678906. If you or your supplier type 8712345678903 instead, the check digit no longer matches and a well-built upload will refuse it. Note that a correct check digit only proves the number is well-formed. It does not prove the number is registered, unused or yours.

Does the 87 prefix mean "made in the Netherlands"?

No. Prefixes 870 to 879 show that GS1 Nederland issued the company prefix, nothing more. GS1 states that prefixes "do not identify the country of origin" of a product. A Dutch company can sell goods made anywhere under an 87 code, and a code with another prefix says nothing about where your product was made either. Customers on bol.com do not see the prefix as a quality mark, and bol.com does not ask for a particular prefix.

Which product changes need a new EAN on bol.com?

bol.com says that a change of brand, packaging or composition may need a new EAN, and that "bol follows GS1 policy" on this. GS1 publishes those rules as the GTIN Management Standard, with an online decision tool. The main triggers are:

• a new product, and each new packaging level (single, 3-pack, carton);
• a change in formulation or function that changes the information you declare;
• a change in declared net content, for example 500 g to 450 g;
• a change of 20% or more in any dimension, or in gross weight (and GS1 calls small creeping changes to dodge the threshold "unacceptable");
• adding or removing a certification mark, such as an organic logo;
• a change of primary brand;
• a change in the quantity in a pack;
• a change to the contents of a bundle or assortment;
• adding, changing or removing a price printed on the pack.

Since the end of 2018, GS1 rules say a GTIN allocated to a product shall not be reallocated to another product. On bol.com this matters doubly, because the old product page with its reviews and content stays linked to the old EAN. Reusing the code would put your new product on an old page with the wrong description.

Variants: one EAN per sellable version

Each size, colour and flavour needs its own EAN. GS1 Nederland's own example: socks in black and white, each in three sizes, need six codes, and 3-packs of those socks need six more. On bol.com each of those versions is a separate item with its own code, its own stock and its own offer. For bundles, multipacks and the full rule set, see when a variant, bundle or product change needs a new EAN.

Books need ISBNs, not EANs

If you publish books, bol.com requires a separate ISBN for each edition: hardcover, paperback and e-book each get their own. ISBNs start with 978 or 979 and come from the national ISBN agency, not from GS1 or barcode resellers. Do not use a normal EAN for a book.

How many EANs do you need to start on bol.com?

Count sellable units, not product ideas. A quick worked example shows how fast the number grows.

A small homeware shop plans to launch on bol.com with three items:

• a plain cotton tea towel in 4 colours: 4 EANs;
• the same tea towels as a mixed set of 3: 1 EAN for the set (if the colour mix changes later, that is a new EAN);
• a ceramic mug in 2 sizes and 3 glazes: 6 EANs.

That is 11 codes for three "products". If the shop sells the tea towels in a branded gift box later, each boxed version is a branded product that needs its own GS1 EAN. Plan for growth: buying 10 codes and running out after a single collection is a common beginner mistake, and with GS1 it pushes you into the next package.

If your items are genuinely unbranded and you decide a reseller code fits, you can buy the exact number you need in our shops. If even one line will carry a brand, price that line with GS1 instead.

Recent reports about stricter checks on bol.com

bol.com's own EAN page still says, as of October 2026, that unregistered EANs for unbranded items are not yet enforced. You will find other claims online, and it is worth knowing them so you can judge the risk.

• A Dutch e-commerce agency reported that bol.com has been taking listings offline in phases since 1 April 2026 when manufacturer details or product safety (GPSR) information is missing, and that items without GS1 registration, branded or unbranded, risk removal. We could not confirm the GS1 part of this on bol.com's own pages.
• A Dutch seller-tool company wrote in August 2026 that unbranded items also need GS1 and that bol.com "actively checks". That source has a commercial interest, and its claim conflicts with bol.com's own text.
• At least one Dutch code reseller says bol.com limits certain categories, such as jewellery and food, to GS1 codes. We have not found this on bol.com's EAN page either.

How to read this: the separate requirement for correct manufacturer and safety data is real and applies to everyone, whatever code you use. For the EAN itself, bol.com's written rule is the reference, but the trend points towards stricter checks. If you sell generic goods on reseller codes, keep your manufacturer and safety data complete, watch your seller dashboard for messages, and have a plan B (GS1 codes) ready.

Protecting your bol.com listing: trademark, precise content and evidence

Because one EAN means one shared page, the EAN itself cannot keep competitors off your listing. Dutch case law confirms this. In a 2022 case about a unicorn plush toy (Rechtbank Den Haag, ECLI:NL:RBDHA:2022:6493), the court rejected a trademark claim against another seller who used the same EAN, partly because bol.com's terms require sellers of identical products to use the same EAN, and because the trademark rights in those genuine goods were exhausted. In the Cool Cotton bedding case, the Hof Arnhem-Leeuwarden did find infringement, but there the goods were counterfeit. The Dutch law firm Dirkzwager summarises both cases in an article on EAN use and trademark infringement.

So using "your" EAN is not automatically infringement. What protects you is a mix of trademark, content and evidence. Dirkzwager gives three practical tips:

1. Register a trademark and put it visibly on the product and its packaging. A competitor selling a look-alike under your page then sells a product that does not match the brand shown.
2. Make the listing content precise. Describe exact dimensions, materials, colours, contents and what is in the box. If a competitor sells a different product on your page, the precise description makes that a misleading, unfair commercial practice rather than a matter of opinion.
3. Document everything. Keep dated screenshots of the page and the competing offer, make a test purchase, and film the unboxing so you can show what the customer actually receives.

Reporting a wrong offer to bol.com

If another seller offers a different product on your EAN, report it to bol.com through the seller dashboard, with your evidence: the product page, the competing offer, the test purchase and the differences. Stick to facts that bol.com can check against its own rule that an EAN belongs to one specific item. Avoid claims that you "own" the EAN on bol.com, because under bol.com's model nobody owns the page.

Where a registration certificate helps, and where it does not

Evidence of when and from whom you obtained a code can help in a dispute with a competitor, or to show good faith. With a GS1 code, your record in Verified by GS1 is the strongest proof. With codes from GTINcodes.com, our optional protection plans show your company name on the public check page and let you download a registration certificate. That certificate proves the codes were bought from and registered with GTINcodes.com, and when. It is not a GS1 registration, and bol.com does not treat it as one for branded items. Our guide on proving EAN ownership and handling disputes explains which evidence works on which platform.

Which EAN code for which bol.com situation?

The table brings the rules together. It reflects bol.com's partner platform as of October 2026 and practical experience, not a guarantee from bol.com.

Selling the same product on bol.com and elsewhere

One product should keep one EAN across all your channels. If you sell unbranded goods on bol.com, your own Shopify or WooCommerce shop and eBay, the same code works everywhere. The catch is the strictest channel: if you later want to list the same item as a branded product on Amazon, a reseller code will not pass the GS1 brand check. Google Shopping, by contrast, does not require a GTIN for your own shop brand at all; read GTIN for Google Shopping and identifier_exists before you add codes to your feed. And for the difference between EAN, UPC and GTIN when a supplier sends you 12-digit codes, see EAN vs UPC vs GTIN.

Step by step: adding a new unbranded product to bol.com

Here is a practical sequence for a seller listing a generic product on a new EAN. It assumes you have a bol.com seller account and have checked that the item is really unbranded.

1. Confirm the product is unique on bol.com. Search by product type and features. If the identical item already exists with an EAN, use that EAN and add your offer. Do not create a second page.
2. Assign one EAN per variant. Pick an unused code from your list for each size and colour, and write the mapping into your records straight away.
3. Validate each code. Check the length, check digit and prefix, and search bol.com to make sure the number is not already in use.
4. Prepare complete content. Accurate title, precise description, measurements, materials, and the manufacturer and safety information bol.com asks for. Do not invent a brand name for a generic item; describe it as unbranded in the way the bol.com upload asks you to.
5. Print the barcode on the product or packaging if your logistics or warehouse needs it. The barcode image can be generated from your number; you cannot generate the number itself.
6. Upload and monitor. Watch for errors or messages in the seller dashboard in the first days, and screenshot the live page with its date.
7. Review every few months. Re-read bol.com's EAN page, especially the line about unbranded items, and check that nobody is selling a different product on your codes.

And for a branded product

The sequence is the same, with two differences at the start: join GS1 (or use the GS1 numbers you already licence), and make sure the product and brand are recorded against the code in GS1's systems before you add the item to bol.com. bol.com wants the code registered "from the moment" the item is added, not weeks later.

Checklist: EAN codes for bol.com

• Branded or private label: use a GS1 EAN registered to your company. Reseller codes are not accepted for these on bol.com.
• Unbranded (merkloos): a valid, unique EAN currently works; bol.com says it does "not yet enforce" GS1 registration (checked October 2026). Re-check the partner platform regularly.
• One EAN, one product: identical items share one page and one EAN, across all sellers. Owning a code gives no exclusivity and no protection from koopblok competition.
• Every variant gets its own EAN, and so does every multipack and bundle. Never reuse an EAN for a different product.
• Product changes in brand, net content, dimensions (20% or more), certification marks, pack quantity, bundle contents or printed price usually need a new EAN; use GS1's decision tool.
• Before listing: check length, check digit and prefix, search the EAN on bol.com, and look it up in Verified by GS1.
• Protect your page with a trademark, precise content and dated evidence, not with the EAN alone.
• Keep manufacturer and safety data complete, whatever code you use.
• Decide early: if a brand, Amazon brand listings or physical retail are in your plans, start with GS1. If you sell generic goods, a reseller code such as one from GTINcodes.com can be a cost-effective fit, provided you accept the limits described above.