Is star anise profitable to sell on Amazon United Kingdom?

The niche generates £79K/yr across 8 tracked products. 0 of 1 products launched in the last 360 days are still selling. 90-day search growth is -31.0%. Flapen's verdict: Skip it (34/100).

How competitive is the star anise niche?

7 brands and 38 sellers compete. The top 5 products take 86% of clicks and top 5 brands hold 94% of demand.

What do buyers complain about in star anise?

Top complaints mined from reviews: Advertised Vs Actual Product, Quality-Overall, Smell. The return rate is 0.0%.

When does demand for star anise peak?

Demand peaks in Nov–Dec; the busiest month runs 5.4× the quietest.

What does it cost to enter the star anise niche?

Listings span £2.03–£11.12; the average listing price is £5.31 (sweet spot $15–$100). The average incumbent carries 585 reviews — the moat a new listing must climb.

star anise

Skip it

Prices mostly outside the sweet spot ($2.03–$11.12) — this niche doesn't clear our bar today.

Returns

Incredible0.0%

return rate — above 5% kills the launch gate

Conversion

Incredible15.3%

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

Review moat

Good584.75

avg incumbent reviews — the moat a new listing must climb

Quality gap

Bad4.6★

avg incumbent rating — lower means beatable quality

Market size

Bad£79K

£79K/yr · 97K searches

Brand share

Bad94%

top-5 brand share — brand-locked demand

Avg price

Bad£5.31

avg listing price — sweet spot $15–$100

Competition

Bad86%

top-5 click share — a locked-up shelf

Growth

Bad-31.0%

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

Price range

Bad£2.03–£11.12

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

According to Flapen's Amazon United Kingdom niche tracking, star anise is a £79K/yr Amazon United Kingdom market (97K searches/yr). The top 5 brands hold 94% of demand. Demand peaks in Nov–Dec. Verdict: Skip it — 34/100.

Data updated Jul 24, 2026 · scored weekly · How we score niches

Competition & brand share

The top 5 products capture 86% of clicks — a locked-up shelf that new listings rarely crack.

Brands

7 falling

Sellers

Top-5 brand share

94%

Top 20: 100%

Top-5 click share

86%

Top 20: 100%

Open market

The Worldwide Mint49%
Alpi Nature21%
TRS9%
Schwartz7%
Old India7%
Somra4%
Open — no brand owns it (1 brand, 3%)

Demand & seasonality

Weekly Amazon search volume, last 104 weeks — -31.0% search growth over the last 90 days.

Peak months: Nov, Dec · busiest ÷ quietest = 5.4×

Open Trend

Top star anise search terms

star anise61K/yr -32.6%15.4% conv.
star anise whole26K/yr -24.3%15.1% conv.
anise6K/yr -42.8%5.1% conv.
anis3K/yr -21.3%1.7% conv.

All search terms

Top star anise 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 8 tracked products in this niche — three views at once, no toggling.

Top sellers

by 90-day click share

Star Anise (Badiyan) Whole Star Anise 50g (1.76 oz) - Premium Quality Natural Vegan Non-GMO - No Additives & No Preservatives

The Worldwide Mint£4.314.6★297 rev

Alpi Nature Star Anise Whole 125g 4.4 oz Whole Star Anise Pods for Cooking and Mulled Wine

Alpi Nature£5.914.6★2,737 rev

Star Aniseed (Badian)

TRS£3.934.6★727 rev

Schwartz Star Anise Whole 10g

Schwartz£2.034.4★85 rev

Old India Star Anise 500g

Old India£11.124.6★252 rev

Newest

by launch date

Somra - Star Aniseed 125g - Premium Whole Star Anise Pods Ideal Spice for Cooking Baking Chai Tea & Herbal Tea - Resealable Bag

Somra£5.975 rev

4mo ago

Star Anise (Badiyan) Whole Star Anise 50g (1.76 oz) - Premium Quality Natural Vegan Non-GMO - No Additives & No Preservatives

The Worldwide Mint£4.31297 rev

2y ago

Star Anise (Badiyan) Whole Star Anise 100g - Premium Quality Natural Vegan Non-GMO - No Additives & No Preservatives

The Worldwide Mint£5.77511 rev

4y ago

Star Anise Whole | Badiyan | Badiya | Premium Quality Free P&P UK (50g)

Spice Mart£3.4164 rev

4y ago

Schwartz Star Anise Whole 10g

Schwartz£2.0385 rev

5y ago

What buyers say about star anise

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

What buyers love

Quality-Overall33%

“Good quality”

Smell17%

“The aroma is sweet”

Value For Money12%

“Fair price I would say as well”

Advertised Vs Actual Product11%

“As described”

Taste-Overall8%

“Love the taste of these whilst cooking curry or rice even”

Size-Overall6%

“good size”

Freshness5%

“So fresh and lovely”

Spiciness4%

“Nice'n'spicy”

Sweetness2%

“Sweet”

Health Benefits-Overall2%

“Good healthy options”

What buyers complain about

Advertised Vs Actual Product50%

“Title absolutely rubbish”

Quality-Overall25%

“Poor quality”

Smell25%

“these are terrible quality they smell and taste overpoweringly of dirty wood and bark and not the clean aniseed taste and smell it should be which is either down to poor product or poor storage or both”

Common questions

Is star anise profitable to sell on Amazon United Kingdom?: The niche generates £79K/yr across 8 tracked products. 0 of 1 products launched in the last 360 days are still selling. 90-day search growth is -31.0%. Flapen's verdict: Skip it (34/100).
How competitive is the star anise niche?: 7 brands and 38 sellers compete. The top 5 products take 86% of clicks and top 5 brands hold 94% of demand.
What do buyers complain about in star anise?: Top complaints mined from reviews: Advertised Vs Actual Product, Quality-Overall, Smell. The return rate is 0.0%.
When does demand for star anise peak?: Demand peaks in Nov–Dec; the busiest month runs 5.4× the quietest.
What does it cost to enter the star anise niche?: Listings span £2.03–£11.12; the average listing price is £5.31 (sweet spot $15–$100). The average incumbent carries 585 reviews — the moat a new listing must climb.

star anise

star anise market data

Competition & brand share

Demand & seasonality

Top star anise search terms