Is drawing pencils profitable to sell on Amazon United Kingdom?

The niche generates £539K/yr across 26 tracked products. 1 of 4 products launched in the last 360 days are still selling. 90-day search growth is -15.3%. Flapen's verdict: Skip it (49/100).

How competitive is the drawing pencils niche?

16 brands and 89 sellers compete. The top 5 products take 55% of clicks and top 5 brands hold 81% of demand.

What do buyers complain about in drawing pencils?

Top complaints mined from reviews: Quality-Overall, Durability, Hard Feel. The return rate is 0.3%.

When does demand for drawing pencils peak?

Demand peaks in Nov–Dec; the busiest month runs 3.2× the quietest.

What does it cost to enter the drawing pencils niche?

Listings span £2.30–£31.10; the average listing price is £7.74 (sweet spot $15–$100). The average incumbent carries 2,608 reviews — the moat a new listing must climb.

drawing pencils

Skip it

Soft demand (-15.3% this quarter) — this niche doesn't clear our bar today.

Returns

Incredible0.3%

return rate — above 5% kills the launch gate

Conversion

Great9.1%

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

Market size

Good£539K

£539K/yr · 763K searches

Price range

Good£2.30–£31.10

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

Competition

Okay55%

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

Brand share

Okay81%

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

Review moat

Okay2,607.88

avg incumbent reviews — the moat a new listing must climb

Avg price

Bad£7.74

avg listing price — sweet spot $15–$100

Quality gap

Bad4.7★

avg incumbent rating — lower means beatable quality

Growth

Bad-15.3%

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

According to Flapen's Amazon United Kingdom niche tracking, drawing pencils is a £539K/yr Amazon United Kingdom market (763K searches/yr). The top 5 brands hold 81% of demand. Demand peaks in Nov–Dec. Verdict: Skip it — 49/100.

Data updated Jul 27, 2026 · scored weekly · How we score niches

drawing pencils market data

Units sold / yr: 60K–80K; avg 2,000–2,500/product
Revenue / yr: £464K–£619K; units × avg price
Conversion rate: 9.1%
Avg BSR: #42
Page quality: 0%
Prime: 100%
Sponsored: 88%
Out of stock: 1.1%
Avg brand age: 47 months
Avg seller age: 176 days

Competition & brand share

The top 5 products take 55% of clicks — established leaders, but buyers still shop beyond them.

Brands

16 falling

Sellers

Top-5 brand share

81%

Top 20: 100%

Top-5 click share

55%

Top 20: 94%

Open market

16%

Drawlish30%
ARTISANAL STUDIO24%
Faber-Castell20%
ASTRAFINE4%
STAEDTLER3%
KALOUR3%
Open — no brand owns it (10 brands, 16%)

Demand & seasonality

Weekly Amazon search volume, last 104 weeks — -15.3% search growth over the last 90 days.

Peak months: Nov, Dec · busiest ÷ quietest = 3.2×

Open Trend

Top drawing pencils search terms

drawing pencils148K/yr -20.8%10.0% conv.
faber castell88K/yr -15.3%0.8% conv.
sketching pencils94K/yr -18.8%10.5% conv.
art pencils69K/yr -10.0%6.8% conv.
sketch pencils45K/yr -7.7%10.8% conv.
pencil set49K/yr -10.6%2.8% conv.
artist pencils44K/yr -14.2%7.3% conv.
sketching pencil set44K/yr -15.5%7.0% conv.
drawing pencils for artists31K/yr -13.7%9.3% conv.
graphite pencils28K/yr -30.7%4.9% conv.

All search terms

Top drawing pencils 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 24 tracked products in this niche — three views at once, no toggling.

Top sellers

by 90-day click share

Sketching Pencils Set of 8 - B 2B 4B 6B 8B HB 2H 4H - Drawing Pencils with Graphite Lead & Premium Wood are Ideal for Sketching Shading & Doodling - For Beginners & Professionals

Drawlish£3.324.7★3,564 rev

ARTISANAL STUDIO Drawing Pencils (12B to 4H) 10 Graphite 3 Charcoal Sketching Pencils Blending Stumps Erasers & Sharpeners for Drawing Sketching Shading Drafting and Illustrations

ARTISANAL STUDIO£6.674.7★771 rev

Faber-Castell 9000 Art Set 12 x Pencils in a Stylish Tin

Faber-Castell£9.534.8★12,437 rev

Drawing Set for Adults Pack of 24 - Drawing Pencils for Artists & Professionals - Ideal Sketching Pencils Art Set for All of Your Creative Needs

Drawlish£7.484.7★235 rev

ARTISANAL STUDIO 10-Piece Sketching Pencils Set of 12B to 4H Graphite Drawing Pencils for Artists Ideal for Art Shading Sketch & Doodling For Beginners & Professionals

ARTISANAL STUDIO£3.334.7★44 rev

Newest

by launch date

Drawlish Drawing Pencils for Artists 16-Piece Set (4H-10B) Metal Case

Drawlish£5.021 rev

1mo ago

ARTISANAL STUDIO 10-Piece Sketching Pencils Set of 12B to 4H Graphite Drawing Pencils for Artists Ideal for Art Shading Sketch & Doodling For Beginners & Professionals

ARTISANAL STUDIO£3.3344 rev

5mo ago

26-Piece Sketch Pencils Set Sketching Drawing Pencil Set - 12 Graphite (6B-4H) 4 Charcoal (White/Soft/Medium/Hard) Erasers Sharpener - Non-Toxic Art Supplies for Beginners to Pros All Ages

KASAFE£6.63126 rev

6mo ago

ARTISANAL STUDIO Sketching Pencils Set of 27 Pcs - Drawing Pencils for Artists and Professionals Graphite & Charcoal Art Set with Blending Stumps Sandpaper Erasers & Sharpener

ARTISANAL STUDIO£7.53160 rev

10mo ago

HIFORNY 42 PCS Drawing Set Sketching Kit with Graphite and Charcoal Pencils Blending Tools Erasers & Accessories in Portable Zipped Case for Artists Students & Beginners

HIFORNY£11.43416 rev

1y ago

What buyers say about drawing pencils

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

What buyers love

Quality-Overall26%

“Good quality pencils”

Value For Money19%

“Good for the price”

Pen/Pencil Quality14%

“Excellent pens”

Drawing Experience14%

“Super nice to draw with”

Color5%

“great colours”

Advertised Vs Actual Product4%

“As described”

Ease Of Use3%

“comfortable to hold”

Sharpness2%

“* Sharpen well”

Durability1%

“the pencils are durable”

Ink Refill1%

“Great Range of Pencils at an Excellent Price”

What buyers complain about

Quality-Overall22%

“The quality of the contents isn't stunning - this isn't artist-quality stuff, any of it;”

Durability10%

“Break quickly”

Hard Feel8%

“They also seem pretty tough”

Nib/Tip Quality4%

“Looks good - pencils creamy texture easy to blend - however over half colours had broken lead so constant sharpening- tips breaking etc”

Metal Quality4%

“Really lovely set I wish it came in a metal tin though”

Wood Quality4%

“Some did slip the wood”

Thickness3%

“However I noticed the 4B core is thicker”

Sharpness2%

“First time sharpening the black and its already gone”

Advertised Vs Actual Product2%

“Description should include it's a cardboard case rather than metal case”

Value For Money2%

“May not be the best value out there”

Top return reasons

Defective Material/Parts17%

Quality-Overall16%

Size-Overall8%

Product Condition8%

Gifting Purpose7%

Sharpness7%

Color6%

Functionality-Overall4%