Historically, with all retail barcodes there has been a problem with registration. While intuitively people believe there should be a place where barcodes are registered, with ownership information and optional product details, there has never been a comprehensive, up to date, international database for registering barcode numbers.
Problems with previous databases included that they had very limited numbers of barcodes registered, or simply did not update current barcode ownership information from the historical owners of the barcode, leading to an inaccurate and misleading database.
As part of the International Barcode Network’s mission to increase the availability and viability of reseller barcodes worldwide, they have addressed the issues with current databases, and created The International Barcodes Database. This database, pulls information from a variety of sources, including; online sales sites, other barcode databases and the sales records of International Barcodes Member Sites in order to create a more comprehensive and accurate barcodes database than ever before. While constantly growing, it is already the most comprehensive database available on the internet.
This website also has helpful information on where to buy barcodes here.