---
title: "Black Pencil — £149K/yr Amazon UK Niche (2026) - Flapen"
canonical_url: "https://flapen.com/research/uk/stationery-office-supplies/black-pencil"
last_updated: "2026-07-31T10:31:17.528Z"
locale: en
meta:
description: "Niche score 39/100 · £149K/yr market · 130K searches/yr · £40.48 avg price. Doesn't clear our bar today. Data updated Jul 2026."
"og:description": "Niche score 39/100 · £149K/yr market · 130K searches/yr · £40.48 avg price. Doesn't clear our bar today. Data updated Jul 2026."
"og:title": "Black Pencil — £149K/yr Amazon UK Niche (2026) - Flapen"
---
# **black pencil**
**Skip it**
Brand-locked demand (top 5 brands take 99% of clicks) — this niche doesn't clear our bar today.
Market size 32Growth 33Conversion 35Competition 36Returns 97Price range 35Avg price 95Brand share 3Review moat 37Quality gap 23
**Returns**
**Incredible****0.6%**
return rate — above 5% kills the launch gate
**Avg price**
**Incredible****£40.48**
avg listing price — sweet spot $15–$100
**Review moat**
**Okay****2,786.42**
avg incumbent reviews — the moat a new listing must climb
**Competition**
**Okay****64%**
top-5 click share — leaders hold, buyers still browse
**Conversion**
**Okay****2.8%**
search→purchase rate — share of searches ending in a sale
**Price range**
**Okay****£3.08–£243.12**
cheapest to priciest tracked listing — scored on the share inside $15–$100
**Growth**
**Okay****+6.3%**
90-day search growth — must beat 0% to launch
**Market size**
**Okay****£149K**
£149K/yr · 130K searches
**Quality gap**
**Bad****4.6★**
avg incumbent rating — lower means beatable quality
**Brand share**
**Bad****99%**
top-5 brand share — brand-locked demand
According to Flapen's Amazon United Kingdom niche tracking, black pencil is a £149K/yr Amazon United Kingdom market (130K searches/yr). The top 5 brands hold 99% of demand. Demand peaks in Nov–Dec. Verdict: Skip it — 39/100.
Data updated Jul 29, 2026 · scored weekly · [~~How we score niches ~~](https://flapen.com/research/methodology)
## **black pencil market data**
- **Units sold / yr**
- **4K–5K**
- avg 100–250/product
- **Revenue / yr**
- **£162K–£202K**
- units × avg price
- **Conversion rate**
- **2.8%**
- **Avg BSR**
- **#217**
- **Page quality**
- **0%**
- **Prime**
- **100%**
- **Sponsored**
- **42%**
- **Out of stock**
- **1.7%**
- **Avg brand age**
- **59 months**
- **Avg seller age**
- **171 days**
## **Competition & brand share**
The top 5 products take 64% of clicks — established leaders, but buyers still shop beyond them.
**Brands**
**6 **▼falling
**Sellers**
**87**
**Top-5 brand share**
**99%**
Top 20: 100%
**Top-5 click share**
**64%**
Top 20: 100%
**Open market**
**0%**
- Faber-Castell88% - CRAYOLA6% - STAEDTLER3% - KALOUR PDAS2% - Peter Pauper Press1% - Ohuhu1% - Open — no brand owns it (0%)
## **Demand & seasonality**
Weekly Amazon search volume, last 102 weeks — +6.3% search growth over the last 90 days.
5K4KSpike '24Holiday '24Prime Day '25Spike '25Black Friday '25Prime Day '26 seasonDecMarJunAugNovMarMay
Peak months: Nov, Dec · busiest ÷ quietest = 2.0×
[**Open Trend **](https://flapen.com/research/uk/stationery-office-supplies/black-pencil/trend)
## **Top black pencil search terms**
- **faber castell polychromos**46K/yr+22.0%2.3% conv. - **polychromos colouring pencils**31K/yr-6.7%1.6% conv. - **polychromos**10K/yr+28.8%1.3% conv. - **skin tone pencils**10K/yr+18.1%6.7% conv. - **skin colour pencils**9K/yr+10.8%6.7% conv. - **polychromos pencils**8K/yr-24.8%1.5% conv. - **faber-castell polychromos**6K/yr+4.3%3.0% conv. - **faber castell polychromos pencils**4K/yr-15.3%3.1% conv. - **skin tone colouring pencils**4K/yr-43.3%7.9% conv. - **faber castell colouring pencils polychromos**3K/yr+12.9%2.6% conv. [**All search terms **](https://flapen.com/research/uk/stationery-office-supplies/black-pencil/search-terms)
## **Top black pencil 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.
0%5%£7K10%£15K15%£22K20%£30K101001K10K Reviews — right = deep review moatMarket share (90d) ≈ est. sales
Beatable (≤4.3★) Contested Strong incumbent (>4.7★)
All 19 tracked products in this niche — three views at once, no toggling.
### **Top sellers**
by 90-day click share
[1**Faber-Castell Art & Graphic Polychromos Colour Pencil Multicoloured Tin of 36 for Art Craft Drawing Sketching Home School University Colouring**Faber-Castell**£40.73**4.7★607 rev](https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0007OECKI) [2**Faber-Castell Art & Graphic Polychromos Colour Pencil Multicoloured Tin of 24 for Art Craft Drawing Sketching Home School University Colouring**Faber-Castell**£27.31**4.8★5,500 rev](https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0007OECK8) [3**Faber-Castell Art & Graphic Polychromos Colour Pencil Multicoloured Tin of 120 Art Craft Drawing Sketching Home School University Colouring**Faber-Castell**£142.26**4.9★6,559 rev](https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000EWYCX0) [4**Faber-Castell Art & Graphic Polychromos Colour Pencil Multicoloured Tin of 12 for Art Craft Drawing Sketching Home School University Colouring**Faber-Castell**£14.20**4.7★3,233 rev](https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0007OECJY) [5**Faber-Castell Art & Graphic Polychromos Colour Pencil Multicoloured Tin Of 60 For Art Craft Drawing Sketching Home School University Colouring**Faber-Castell**£62.80**4.8★4,332 rev](https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000C6RHBW)
**~~View all top sellers →~~**
### **Newest**
by launch date
[**Ohuhu Colouring Pencils 72 Blendable High Pigmentation Soft and Thick Core 4mm Oil-based Lead Coloured Pencils for Professionals Artists Adults Students Drawing Sketching Portrait - Halawa Series**Ohuhu**£27.25**873 rev1y ago](https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DGGP6HHD) [**KALOUR PDAS 36 Skin Tones Colouring Pencils Portrait Set Oil Based Prefabricated Drawing Pencils for Beginners Adults Artist Colouring Book Drawing Sketching Art Project with Light Fastness Ratings**KALOUR PDAS**£8.05**449 rev2y ago](https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D8S2HSJ5) [**Faber-Castell Art & Graphic Polychromos Colour Pencil Gift Set Mixed Media Multicoloured Polychromos Gift Set Art Craft Drawing Sketching Home School University Colouring**Faber-Castell**£56.56**39 rev2y ago](https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D2Y7T4Q5) [**Faber-Castell Colour Pencils Black Edition - Skin Tones x 12**Faber-Castell**£5.32**1,378 rev3y ago](https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BZ4TCJHV) [**Peter Pauper Press Skin Tone Coloured Pencils (24 soft-core high pigment pencils for skin tones and faces)**Peter Pauper Press**£7.40**44 rev5y ago](https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1441337415)
**~~View all new products →~~**
### **Trending**
90-day click momentum
[**Faber-Castell Art & Graphic Polychromos Colour Pencil Multicoloured Tin Of 6 For Art Craft Drawing Sketching Home School University Colouring Artist Art Set Supplies**Faber-Castell**£17.61**3.9★**▲ 295%**](https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B074WH2KFK) [**CRAYOLA Colours of the World Pencils - Assorted Colours (Pack of 24) | Colours That Represent Skin Tones from Around the World | Ideal for Kids Aged 3+**CRAYOLA**£3.95**4.7★**▲ 47%**](https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08D6W6RNT) [**Faber-Castell Art & Graphic Polychromos Colour Pencil Gift Set Mixed Media Multicoloured Polychromos Gift Set Art Craft Drawing Sketching Home School University Colouring**Faber-Castell**£56.56**5.0★**▲ 23%**](https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D2Y7T4Q5) [**Faber-Castell Art & Graphic Polychromos Colour Pencils Gift Set Mixed Media Multicoloured Polychromos for Arts Craft Drawing Sketching Home School University Colouring**Faber-Castell**£26.02**4.7★**▲ 18%**](https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07GXSMPX1) [**KALOUR PDAS 36 Skin Tones Colouring Pencils Portrait Set Oil Based Prefabricated Drawing Pencils for Beginners Adults Artist Colouring Book Drawing Sketching Art Project with Light Fastness Ratings**KALOUR PDAS**£8.05**4.6★**▲ 17%**](https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D8S2HSJ5)
**~~View all trending →~~**
## **What buyers say about black pencil**
What buyers praise and complain about, mined from review topics.
### **What buyers love **
**Color**27%
*“beautiful colours”*
**Quality-Overall**16%
*“The quality of that pencils is well worth the money”*
**Value For Money**15%
*“Value for Money”*
**Pen/Pencil Quality**12%
*“Great pencils”*
**Drawing Experience**4%
*“Thank you I love it Ohuhu Colouring Pencils, 72 Blendable High quality 💯 perfect and easy and soft I love it 💖 when I use my color book and sketchbook for my art I love it 💖💞🥰”*
**Soft Feel**4%
*“is very very smooth”*
**Durability**3%
*“Do not break as much as other pencils of wax”*
**Ease Of Use**3%
*“easy to use”*
**Grip**2%
*“Easy to use because they are easy to grip”*
**Advertised Vs Actual Product**2%
*“Just as described”*
### **What buyers complain about **
**Color**22%
*“there aren't any colours that suit a dark skin tone”*
**Advertised Vs Actual Product**8%
*“I am happy with the product although I think the description is quite misleading when you look at the picture”*
**Sharpness**8%
*“These do not sharpen well at all”*
**Quality-Overall**5%
*“lacking diversity”*
**Display Colors**4%
*“But no names of colours on the pencils”*
**Nib/Tip Quality**3%
*“some of the pencils arrived with tips already broken even though they were very well wrapped”*
**Product Condition**3%
*“Pencils already been used”*
**Hard Feel**3%
*“A little hard”*
**Paper Quality**3%
*“Only used of cheap paper so far”*
**Ease Of Use**2%
*“the print on the pencil is extremely difficult to read”*
### **Top return reasons **
**Quality-Overall**14%
**Value For Money**13%
**Color**11%
**Advertised Vs Actual Product**10%
**Display Colors**8%
**Size-Overall**8%
**Sharpness**7%
**Functionality-Overall**5%
**Scratch Resistance**3%
**Paper Quality**2%
## **Common questions**
- **Is black pencil profitable to sell on Amazon United Kingdom?**
- The niche generates £149K/yr across 19 tracked products. 90-day search growth is +6.3%. Flapen's verdict: Skip it (39/100).
- **How competitive is the black pencil niche?**
- 6 brands and 87 sellers compete. The top 5 products take 64% of clicks and top 5 brands hold 99% of demand.
- **What do buyers complain about in black pencil?**
- Top complaints mined from reviews: Color, Advertised Vs Actual Product, Sharpness. The return rate is 0.6%.
- **When does demand for black pencil peak?**
- Demand peaks in Nov–Dec; the busiest month runs 2.0× the quietest.
- **What does it cost to enter the black pencil niche?**
- Listings span £3.08–£243.12; the average listing price is £40.48 (sweet spot $15–$100). The average incumbent carries 2,786 reviews — the moat a new listing must climb.
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