Distributor adding a barcode (UPC) sticker to jackets

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by radickeyfan, May 19, 2018.

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  1. radickeyfan

    radickeyfan Forum Resident Thread Starter

    At a local shop this morning , and noticed that some of the jackets on his new releases , had a new barcode sticker applied over the jackets original barcode. I asked the owner about this , and he replied one of his distributors was doing this , so he didn't have to take the time and reorder .. Basically once he scanned the new barcode sticker ...the album was reordered at the distributor level ....and out to him the next working day ...he told me he loved it , makes his job that much easier .......now my minor problem ...forget about trying to remove the new sticker , they used an adhesive , that pretty much can never be removed (he told me that was the point , that nothing in the world will remove the sticker , unless you want to damage the jacket........would you still buy a record , if you wanted it ...with this extra barcode sticker (again it is placed over the original barcode )
     
  2. jimac51

    jimac51 A mythical beast.

    Location:
    Allentown,pa.
    Sounds shady. If the title is vital to Soundscan and the distributor's new code is not in the database,manufacturer has no way to find out a sale. It might mean little to the customer,but if one wants new reissues of desired titles,the less sales info the more probable there will be less titles. For the consumer,this makes reselling the album harder as the barcode is often a modern telling mark on a title. And why would a store want the distributor to automatically re-order a title? Is the title in shrink,and ,if so,is the new barcode directly over the old title or on the shrink? If the title was a blow out sale,maybe. If they wanted full price,I'd bring it up to the counter,question the sticker and politely decline the sale because of the code. See how many lost sales till the store complains to the distributor.Distributors are not the store's buddy. They exist to sell as much crap as a store can afford. Sometimes getting a title out of the store and replacing money for a different title is the way to go.
    Manufacturers,not distributors, have often put new UPCs over older product to signify price change(you see lots of this on DVD product). Pre-UPC era,a simple sticker over the old catalog number did the trick. You often see Columbia product with a sticker over the old,usually changing the letter prefix. MCA was notorious for placing new gold lettered stock numbers on jackets when there was a price shift or when they took over another label
    . Dollar stores often place a generic UPC over books,DVDs and CDs just to signify a sale with no need for title info as the stuff was bought at a bulk,often as remaindered product.
     
  3. Danby Delight

    Danby Delight Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston
    I can't imagine being the slightest bit upset because of a barcode sticker. Perhaps this is the wrong hobby for me after all.
     
    radickeyfan likes this.
  4. tmtomh

    tmtomh Forum Resident

    People swear by lighter fluid for removing difficult stickers. Maybe try that?
     
  5. If it’s a new release, wouldn’t it be in a shrink wrap? And then the new bardcode sticker would be on the shrink, right?
     
    radickeyfan likes this.
  6. radickeyfan

    radickeyfan Forum Resident Thread Starter

    yes and no ...some new releases (the Friday Music label ) and a few others i have noticed ---do not always have shrinkwrap ...also Imports to the US
     
    Shawn likes this.
  7. radickeyfan

    radickeyfan Forum Resident Thread Starter

    tried that , just tore the barcode area..
     
    tmtomh likes this.
  8. radickeyfan

    radickeyfan Forum Resident Thread Starter

    The title still scans , just an added 2-digit number for the distributor , so Soundscan works fine.
    This store re-orders everything , I mean everything , I have never seen an Indie Store that has this guys selection , pretty much if it is in-print , chances are he carries it.
     
  9. radickeyfan

    radickeyfan Forum Resident Thread Starter

    just looked at 2 lps i bought yesterday , they have the new barcode sticker over the old barcode , with the just added distributor 2 digit pre-fix code . Still in the shrinkwrap w/ the stickers ...so I am guessing this distributor is big enough that the labels are doing this for them...and like I stated above the Friday label , and a lot of the Indie rock and Indie Rap (besides the imports) have no shrinkwrap to begin with ... Friday seems to be about a 50/50 split on if it has shrinkwrap or not
     
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