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This article explains which barcodes Cahoot supports, how many barcodes you can configure per product, and how to fix barcodes that will not scan at a Cahoot fulfillment center. Getting this right prevents receiving delays, rebarcoding fees, and orders that cannot pass scan verification.

Important: Cahoot supports a maximum of two barcodes per product — one primary and one alternate. There is no way to add a third. If units arrive with a barcode that is not one of your two configured values, those units must be relabeled before they can be fulfilled, which delays receiving by 5–7 business days and incurs rebarcoding charges.
Note: Most scanning failures are caused by physical print quality — size, paper type, contrast, or placement — not by an unsupported barcode format. Start with the Physical Barcode Requirements section before assuming a format problem.

Supported Barcode Formats

Cahoot scans standard retail barcodes issued through GS1, the global organization that issues unique product identifiers. Supported formats:

  • UPC
  • EAN
  • GTIN
  • ISBN (books)
  • Code 128

If you need to purchase barcodes for new products, buy them directly from GS1 US so your values are globally unique. Barcodes bought from resellers are frequently duplicated across sellers and will cause scanning and inventory conflicts.

Scanner compatibility:

  • Your scanner must support Code 128 A, B, and C

How Many Barcodes Can I Have Per Product?

Cahoot supports exactly two barcode values per SKU. Both are configured in the Product Editor under Products → Products.

Field What it's for
Primary Barcode Required for Cahoot fulfillment. Must be unique — no two SKUs in your catalog can share the same value.
Alternate Barcode Optional second value for the same product. Use it when the identical item legitimately ships with two different barcodes (for example, an older label revision still in stock).
There is no third barcode field. Cahoot cannot store, scan against, or receive a third barcode value for a SKU under any circumstances.

What to Do If Your Product Has a Third Barcode

If a batch of units carries a barcode that is not your Primary or Alternate value, that barcode cannot be used at Cahoot. Stop using it and get those units relabeled with one of your two configured barcodes. 

Is it actually a different product? If the "third barcode" belongs to a different pack size, bundle, or product version — not the same physical item — it is not a third barcode at all. It is a separate product and needs its own SKU. See Creating Products.

Barcode Field vs. UPC Field

These are two different fields in the Product Editor and they are not interchangeable:

  • Barcode — the field used for all scanning operations at Cahoot: inbound receiving, picking, and scan verification at shipping. This is the field that matters.
  • UPC — an optional reference field. It has no effect on fulfillment and is never scanned against.
Important: Entering a value in the UPC field does not make it scannable. If a barcode needs to be recognized at the warehouse, it must be in the Barcode or Alternate Barcode field.

Physical Barcode Requirements

A correctly formatted barcode will still fail if it is printed or placed poorly. Every unit sent to Cahoot must meet these standards:

Requirement Standard
Size Minimum 1" x 2"
Material Matte white label stock. Avoid glossy paper, foil, and metallic finishes.
Placement Flat surface only. Avoid curves, corners, seams, and shrink-wrap folds.
Print quality High contrast, crisp bars, no smudging, fading, or ink bleed.
Coverage No tape, stickers, or other labels over any part of the barcode.

Troubleshooting a Barcode That Won't Scan

Work through these checks before opening a support ticket. Most issues are resolved here.

1Scan the barcode into a plain text editor such as Notepad. Confirm the value that appears matches the barcode configured on the SKU in Cahoot.

2Compare the barcode against the physical requirements above — size, material, placement, and print quality.

3Print a Cahoot-generated barcode for the same SKU and scan it. If the Cahoot barcode scans and yours does not, the problem is your label's physical quality, not the format or the scanner.

4Check whether the issue affects every unit or only some. A single failing unit points to a damaged label; all units failing points to a print or supplier problem.

Common Fixes

  • Increase the barcode size
  • Reprint on matte white label stock
  • Move the label to a flat area of the package
  • Increase print darkness and contrast
  • Switch to Code 128 for new products
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