Is z fold paper towels profitable to sell on Amazon United Kingdom?

The niche generates £118K/yr across 18 tracked products. 0 of 1 products launched in the last 360 days are still selling. 90-day search growth is -0.6%. Flapen's verdict: Worth a look (55/100).

How competitive is the z fold paper towels niche?

11 brands and 34 sellers compete. The top 5 products take 65% of clicks and top 5 brands hold 76% of demand.

What do buyers complain about in z fold paper towels?

Top complaints mined from reviews: Thickness, Size-Overall, Value For Money. The return rate is 0.1%.

When does demand for z fold paper towels peak?

Demand is steady year-round — the busiest month runs 1.5× the quietest.

What does it cost to enter the z fold paper towels niche?

Listings span £8.82–£24.53; the average listing price is £17.34 (sweet spot $15–$100). The average incumbent carries 423 reviews — the moat a new listing must climb.

z fold paper towels

Worth a look

Shows searches that convert (18.9% search→purchase), but soft demand (-0.6% this quarter) keeps it on the watch list.

Conversion

Incredible18.9%

search→purchase rate — share of searches ending in a sale

Returns

Incredible0.1%

return rate — above 5% kills the launch gate

Avg price

Great£17.34

avg listing price — sweet spot $15–$100

Review moat

Great422.61

avg incumbent reviews — the moat a new listing must climb

Quality gap

Good4.4★

avg incumbent rating — lower means beatable quality

Price range

Good£8.82–£24.53

cheapest to priciest tracked listing — scored on the share inside $15–$100

Brand share

Okay76%

top-5 brand share — brands hold most of the demand

Competition

Okay65%

top-5 click share — leaders hold, buyers still browse

Market size

Okay£118K

£118K/yr · 36K searches

Growth

Bad-0.6%

90-day search growth — must beat 0% to launch

According to Flapen's Amazon United Kingdom niche tracking, z fold paper towels is a £118K/yr Amazon United Kingdom market (36K searches/yr). The top 5 brands hold 76% of demand. Verdict: Worth a look — 55/100.

Data updated Jul 21, 2026 · scored weekly · How we score niches

z fold paper towels market data

Units sold / yr: 8K–10K; avg 250–500/product
Revenue / yr: £139K–£173K; units × avg price
Conversion rate: 18.9%
Avg BSR: #49
Page quality: 0%
Prime: 50%
Sponsored: 94%
Out of stock: 2.2%
Avg brand age: 61 months
Avg seller age: 167 days

Competition & brand share

The top 5 products take 65% of clicks — established leaders, but buyers still shop beyond them.

Brands

11 falling

Sellers

Top-5 brand share

76%

Top 20: 100%

Top-5 click share

65%

Top 20: 100%

Open market

17%

Paper Hand Towels23%
AmazonCommercial23%
Selpak11%
carebymail10%
A4069%
Scott7%
Open — no brand owns it (5 brands, 17%)

Demand & seasonality

Weekly Amazon search volume, last 54 weeks — -0.6% search growth over the last 90 days.

No pronounced peak months · busiest ÷ quietest = 1.5×

Open Trend

Top z fold paper towels search terms

z fold paper towels26K/yr +5.7%16.2% conv.
z fold hand towels4K/yr +0.5%18.9% conv.
paper hand towels z fold3K/yr +11.7%5.2% conv.
paper towels z fold3K/yr -59.0%17.2% conv.

All search terms

Top z fold paper towels products on Amazon

Each bubble is one product — market share against review moat; bubble size tracks estimated sales, color grades how beatable the incumbent looks.

Beatable (≤4.3★) Contested Strong incumbent (>4.7★)

All 18 tracked products in this niche — three views at once, no toggling.

Top sellers

by 90-day click share

3000 x Z Fold WHITE Paper Hand Towels (23.5cm x 24cm) 2 Ply

Paper Hand Towels£13.884.3★903 rev

AmazonCommercial Multifold (Z-Fold) Paper Hand Towels 2-ply Cellulose 4000 Sheets (20 packs of 200) Sheet Size: 24 x 20.3 cm H2 Dispenser Compatible

AmazonCommercial£24.534.5★1,424 rev

Selpak Professional Z Fold Paper Towels 2ply Paper Hand Towels Disposable 12x200 (Total 2400) Absorbent White Paper Towel Ideal for Individuals/Businesses Paper Hand Towels for Dispenser

Selpak£18.254.6★175 rev

Z fold Paper Towels White Interfold Embossed Paper Hand Towel 2ply C Fold Multi Fold Tissue (3200 White)

A406£20.034.6★313 rev

Promod Premium White Z Fold Hand Towels 2-Ply Virgin Paper Hand Towels Disposable Bulk 3000 Sheets (12 Packs x 250) High Absorbency & Strength Ideal for Businesses Offices & Healthcare

PROmod£16.174.3★28 rev

Newest

by launch date

Promod Premium White Z Fold Hand Towels 2-Ply Virgin Paper Hand Towels Disposable Bulk 3000 Sheets (12 Packs x 250) High Absorbency & Strength Ideal for Businesses Offices & Healthcare

PROmod£16.1728 rev

3mo ago

KMAKII Z Fold Strong White Soft 1 ply Paper Hand Towel 22.5×22cm (400 Total)

KMAKII£9.8727 rev

1y ago

Selpak Professional Z Fold Paper Towels 2ply Paper Hand Towels Disposable 12x200 (Total 2400) Absorbent White Paper Towel Ideal for Individuals/Businesses Paper Hand Towels for Dispenser

Selpak£18.25175 rev

1y ago

Scott Essential Hand Towels Narrow-Fold 2-Ply White Paper Towels Soft Absorbent FSC Certified Compatible with Multifold Dispensers 12 Clips x 220 Sheets (2 640 Sheets Total) Model Nr. 6603

Scott£21.501,021 rev

2y ago

Interfold Z-Fold Paper Hand Towels - White 2-Ply Absorbent & Strong Multi-fold Paper Towels - 10 Sleeves of 150 Sheets - Care by Mail Healthcare - Total of 1500

carebymail£14.9879 rev

2y ago

What buyers say about z fold paper towels

What buyers praise and complain about, mined from review topics.

What buyers love

Quality-Overall29%

“good quality bulk paper towels”

Value For Money14%

“Good value for money”

Absorbency10%

“They are very absorbent”

Soft Feel7%

“soft and absorbent”

Dispensing Mechanism6%

“Fits dispenser perfect”

Ease Of Use5%

“easy to use”

Strength3%

“Strong and soft”

Size-Overall3%

“Good size”

Advertised Vs Actual Product3%

“do the job”

Durability2%

“dont fall apart as soon as theyre wet”

What buyers complain about

Thickness19%

“Not very thick”

Size-Overall15%

“the sheets are quite narrow”

Value For Money8%

“I actually find the price quite high for what you get”

Absorbency6%

“it did feel like they were not as absorbent as my regular basic brand”

Quality-Overall5%

“Probably buy better quality towels in the future”

Dispensing Mechanism3%

“a little longer so dont quite fit the dispenser we have”

Hard Feel3%

“I was expecting them to be softer”

Ease Of Use2%

“I can't use these”

Assembly/Installation2%

“all joined together which is making it difficult to get one at a time”

Natural Resource Wastage2%

“resulting in waste”

Top return reasons

Size-Overall44%

Dispensing Mechanism12%

Quality-Overall8%

Compatibility-Overall5%

Advertised Vs Actual Product4%

Defective Material/Parts4%

Ease Of Cleaning4%

Thickness3%