Worked example
A warehouse can encode SHIP-2049-A7 on a pallet label, preserving the hyphens and uppercase letters for a scanner to read back.
Before you print
Code 128 is suitable for internal tracking strings. It does not turn an arbitrary string into a GS1-registered retail GTIN.
Barcode artwork is not proof of an assigned GS1 number. A free barcode image and a GS1-issued GTIN are different things.