I sometimes buy used CDs from half.com and I have noticed that some say "hole punched in UPC." Why would a CD have its barcode punched? I've searched Google, and all it does is come up with other sites like Amazon.

 

So you can't use it for a rebate?

 

What rebate? Half.com deals mostly with used items.

 

I used to have some, and they where usually bargain priced. Maybe wholesalers do that, so that if they sell them at a reduced price, the stores cannot sell them at full price. That's what I always figured.

 

It's to stop the CDs from being sold through retail outlets. There's generally nothing "wrong" with them in the sense that the CD won't play, but there could be a flaw in the packaging, or it's promo packaging, or the CDs were used as promo freebies, etc.

 

Exactlly, what it is. I used to work in a Music Store, and all of the CD's we gave away for promos, or pre-release parties had holes punched in the bar code so we couldn't put them on the shelf.

 

Yeup... I have a buddy who spent 12 years as the VP of International Distribution for Warner Brothers. I have a LOT of CDs with punched bar codes.