Editing Amazon Standard Identification Number

{{Short description|Alphanumeric unique identifier}}
{{Redirect|ASIN||ASIN (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}An '''Amazon Standard Identification Number''' ('''ASIN''') is a 10-character [[alphanumeric]] [[unique identifier]] assigned by [[Amazon.com]] and its partners for product identification within the Amazon organization.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sellercentral.amazon.ca/gp/help/external/200317470?language=en-CA&ref=mpbc_200576730_cont_200317470 |title=Product UPCs and GTINs |website=Amazon Seller Central |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416115224/https://sellercentral.amazon.ca/gp/help/external/200317470?language=en-CA&ref=mpbc_200576730_cont_200317470 |access-date=25 May 2011|archive-date=16 April 2021 }}</ref> They were designed in 1996 by Rebecca Allen, an Amazon software engineer, when it became clear that Amazon was going to sell products other than just books. The 10-character format of the ASIN was adopted so that Amazon databases and software, which were designed to expect a 10-character [[International Standard Book Number]] (ISBN) field, would not have to be changed to accommodate the new identification format.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Allen |first1=Rebecca |title=The Story behind ASINs |url=https://inventlikeanowner.com/blog/the-story-behind-asins-amazon-standard-identification-numbers/ |website=Invent Like an Owner |date=8 June 2021 |access-date=21 June 2021}}</ref>

==Usage and structure==
Each product on Amazon.com is given a unique ASIN. For books with a 10-digit [[International Standard Book Number]] (ISBN), the ASIN and the ISBN are the same.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/gp/associates/help/t5/a16 |title=FAQ: ISBN{{not a typo|-13}} for Amazon Associates |website=Affiliate-Program.Amazon.com |access-date=29 October 2014}}</ref> The [[Amazon Kindle|Kindle]] edition of a book will not use its ISBN as the ASIN, although the electronic version of a book may have its own ISBN. The ASIN forms part of the [[URL]] of a product detail page on Amazon's website.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/amazon-hacks/0596005423/ch01s03.html|title=Find a Product's ASIN – Amazon Hacks [Book]|website=www.oreilly.com|language=en|access-date=26 December 2019}}</ref>

==References==
{{Wikidata property|P5749}}
{{Reflist}}

{{Amazon}}

[[Category:Internet properties established in 1996]]
[[Category:Amazon (company)]]
[[Category:Book terminology]]
[[Category:Identifiers]]