- Short answer
- Shopify's Marketplace Connect says either one lets new Amazon listings skip a UPC; the Amazon exemption pages we read don't mention Brand Registry.
- Shopify's side
- Marketplace Connect: only Brand Registry or a GTIN exemption lets new Amazon listings skip a product ID.
- Amazon's side
- The exemption and Brand Registry pages we read don't name each other.
- Auto-approval
- Amazon's row for brand owners with no product ID gives auto-approval; its notes say "Only for truly generic, unbranded products."
- UPC-mandatory brands
- Amazon's exemption page: "No exemption path available."
- In Shopify
- Amazon doesn't confirm Brand Registry or exemptions on your account; send Marketplace Connect a copy of the exemption approval.
- As of
- Amazon US Seller Central, Brand Registry and Marketplace Connect help pages, read September 26, 2026.
What does Marketplace Connect say about Brand Registry?
Shopify's Marketplace Connect help names two routes:
The only exemptions from supplying a product identifier (UPC/EAN/ISBN) for listing new products on Amazon are obtaining Brand Registry or GTIN exemption from Amazon.
Once the exemption is enabled on your account, Marketplace Connect's listing steps have you map Manufacturing Part Number against SKU in Single Edit mode (an Amazon-only step).
The page also warns that Amazon and Walmart do not provide confirmation of Brand registry or granted GTIN exemption on your account. After an exemption is approved, you must share a copy of the approval with marketplace-connect@shopify.com — the Shopify steps after approval.
Does Amazon tie GTIN exemptions to Brand Registry?
Amazon calls Brand Registry Amazon's authoritative service for managing and protecting brands; its requirements page covers trademark eligibility and a five-step enrollment — what Brand Registry asks of a Shopify seller.
Amazon's exemption page sorts requests into scenarios. For a brand owner with no product ID, it says: You will receive an auto-approval for GTIN exemption. The same row's notes, though, say: "Only for truly generic, unbranded products."
The two Amazon exemption pages and the Brand Registry pages we read on September 26, 2026 don't name each other, so none of them says a registered brand can skip the exemption request. The two-route line is Marketplace Connect's wording, not Amazon's.
When do you still need a GTIN?
The exemption page lists UPC-mandatory brands, which it labels GS1-enforced, as a separate scenario marked "No exemption path available." Amazon's pre-request page adds that GTIN exemptions are not available for brands that already provide a GS1-approved barcode on their products, and that even with an exemption for a category, certain branded items can't be listed without a product ID.
An approval is scoped by category: Amazon grants GTIN exemptions at the parent product type level, covering all child product types, so a "Party_Supplies" exemption covers "Balloon".
Buying GTINs instead? See what GS1 charges.
This article was written entirely by AI under human editorial direction. The editor sets the topic and structure, runs multi-stage validation on facts, links, and interactive elements, and verifies the output is useful from a business perspective. All claims are checked against official Shopify sources. Details may change — always confirm critical data at shopify.com.
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