UPC for google

Well google shopping now requires a Unique Product Code (UPC) for all items.

This can be a right ball ache when you have 300 items already and i have to edit each one at a time and give it a UPC

Is there a way to to populate the UPC with my Products Model or something uaing SQL?

or does the UPC neew to be a number and does this number need to be the same as other items listed (by my competitors etc) to be listed??

Well google shopping now requires a Unique Product Code (UPC)
That is actually

Universal Product Code

As by default there is not a field for it, one would have to add it - -
There may be a 3rd party module for this already??

or does the UPC neew to be a number and does this number need to be the same as other items listed (by my competitors etc) to be listed??

From the Wikipedia - The Universal Product Code (UPC) is a barcode symbology (i.e., a specific type of barcode), that is widely used in North America, and in countries including the UK, Australia, and New Zealand for tracking trade items in stores. Its most common form, the UPC-A, consists of 12 numerical digits, which are uniquely assigned to each trade item. Along with the related EAN barcode, the UPC is the only barcode allowed for scanning trade items at the point of sale, per GS1 standards.[1] UPC data structures are a component of GTINs (Global Trade Item Numbers). All of these data structures follow the global GS1 standards.

The UPC is going to be the same number for everyone that sells a particular item - the reason is so that the consumer can find the best price.

Ive installed the mod so this can be inserted etc but what happens when there are no barcode etc? can i just include the product number or my own number if its a bespoke item? or can this be left empty?

Those are questions to ask Google.

indeed i tried searching through all the information (right ball ache) but still not 100% clear.... how ever i still have 100% of my items listed at present after have 100% of them removed due to no UPC

im "hoping" that if you dont have a UPC that the items still gets listed on the shopping centre but maybe not grouped with all the other items.... which could be an advantage or disssadvantage depending on how you look at things

Well google shopping now requires a Unique Product Code (UPC) for all items.

This is not correct. Google now requires Unique Product Identifiers. A UPC code is simply one of these identifiers, and isn't necessarily required. The identifiers are:

Brand
Manufacturer Part Number, (MPN)
GTIN, (Includes UPC codes, ISBN codes, and a couple others)

Google requires two of the three.

For the Zen Cart feed Brand is pulled from the Products Manufacturer selected on the product setup page. If you don't know the manufacturer setup Unknown Mfg or Unknown Maker as a manufacturer and use it.

MPN is pulled from the Products Model setup on the product page. If you do stuff that doesn't use product models, create your own internal system of model numbers.

Also note that Google will grant an exemption to these requirements in cases that warrant it. I have an exemption for one of my sites where I sell vintage and antique collectibles.

Cheers for that Resco!