coloured pens
Skip itPrices mostly outside the sweet spot ($2.06–$9.25) — this niche doesn't clear our bar today.
Returns
Incredible0.2%return rate — above 5% kills the launch gate
Conversion
Good6.6%search→purchase rate — share of searches ending in a sale
Competition
Okay59%top-5 click share — leaders hold, buyers still browse
Market size
Okay£172K£172K/yr · 523K searches
Brand share
Okay86%top-5 brand share — brands hold most of the demand
Quality gap
Okay4.6★avg incumbent rating — lower means beatable quality
Review moat
Bad6,230.08avg incumbent reviews — the moat a new listing must climb
Growth
Bad-14.3%90-day search growth — must beat 0% to launch
Avg price
Bad£4.95avg listing price — sweet spot $15–$100
Price range
Bad£2.06–£9.25cheapest to priciest tracked listing — scored on the share inside $15–$100
According to Flapen's Amazon United Kingdom niche tracking, coloured pens is a £172K/yr Amazon United Kingdom market (523K searches/yr). The top 5 brands hold 86% of demand. Demand peaks in Aug–Sep–Oct. Verdict: Skip it — 40/100.
Data updated Jul 29, 2026 · scored weekly · How we score niches
coloured pens market data
- Units sold / yr
- 40K–50K
- avg 1,500–2,000/product
- Revenue / yr
- £198K–£248K
- units × avg price
- Conversion rate
- 6.6%
- Avg BSR
- #37
- Page quality
- 0%
- Prime
- 92%
- Sponsored
- 71%
- Out of stock
- 0.0%
- Avg brand age
- 38 months
- Avg seller age
- 163 days
Competition & brand share
The top 5 products take 59% of clicks — established leaders, but buyers still shop beyond them.Brands
13 falling
Sellers
206
Top-5 brand share
86%
Top 20: 100%
Top-5 click share
59%
Top 20: 95%
Open market
11%
- STAEDTLER45%
- BIC27%
- Zebra Pen5%
- Paper Mate4%
- Helix4%
- YISAN3%
- Open — no brand owns it (7 brands, 11%)
Demand & seasonality
Weekly Amazon search volume, last 104 weeks — -14.3% search growth over the last 90 days.Peak months: Aug, Sep, Oct · busiest ÷ quietest = 2.3×
Top coloured pens search terms
- coloured pens158K/yr
- pens multicolour76K/yr
- staedtler42K/yr
- staedtler pen43K/yr
- staedtler pens31K/yr
- colourful pens20K/yr
- coloured biros16K/yr
- bic coloured pens18K/yr
- biro pens multicolour13K/yr
- coloured pens for writing15K/yr
Top coloured pens 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.
All 24 tracked products in this niche — three views at once, no toggling.
Top sellers
by 90-day click share
STAEDTLER 4320 MC10 Stick Rainbow Ballpoint Pen - Assorted Colours (Pack of 10)
STAEDTLER£2.384.6★1,790 rev
BIC Crystal Multicolour Pen Bag Pack Of 10 Multicoloured
BIC£4.334.5★7,240 rev
STAEDTLER 4230 MC8 Retractable Rainbow Ballpoint Pen - Assorted Colours (Pack of 8)
STAEDTLER£2.504.7★931 rev
Zebra Pen Z-Grip 8pk Assorted
Zebra Pen£2.064.6★611 rev
BIC 4 Colours Pens Multicolour Original - Retractable Ballpoint Pens - Pack of 3
BIC£3.934.7★23,878 rev
Newest
by launch date
YISAN Retractable Ballpoint Pens Fast Dry Gel Ink Pen with Soft Silicon Grip 12 Colors Journal Pens 0.7mm for Writing Note Taking 71082
YISAN£6.5456 rev
Maxmoc 14 Pcs 4 Colour Pen Set
Maxmoc£5.8439 rev
Paper Mate InkJoy 300RT Retractable Ballpoint Pens | Medium Point (1.0 mm) | Assorted Colours | 24 Count
Paper Mate£9.252,707 rev
EYEYE G-103 Gel Pen 0.7mm 10 Colours Medium Point Pens
EYEYE£7.91599 rev
YISAN Retractable Ballpoint Pens Gel Ink Pen 12 Colours 0.7 mm Journal Pen Set for Writing Drawing Mandala Journaling 71044
YISAN£6.66688 rev
Trending
90-day click momentumYISAN Retractable Ballpoint Pens Fast Dry Gel Ink Pen with Soft Silicon Grip 12 Colors Journal Pens 0.7mm for Writing Note Taking 71082
YISAN£6.544.4★
uni-Ball EYE UB-157E Fine Liquid Ink Rollerball Pen - Tropical Set - Pack of 5
uni£6.764.8★
Liquidraw Multicolour Fineliner Pens - Set of 24 Assorted Colours | Fine Point 0.4 mm Tip | Storage Wallet | Coloured Pens For Artists Handwriting Drawing Sketching | Fade Resistant Ink
Liquidraw£4.734.4★
EYEYE G-103 Gel Pen 0.7mm 10 Colours Medium Point Pens
EYEYE£7.914.4★
Helix Oxford Colour Gel Pens x10 Pens with Plastic Free Packaging
Helix£2.474.4★
What buyers say about coloured pens
What buyers praise and complain about, mined from review topics.What buyers love
“The colors are vibrant”
“Good quality set”
“Excellent price”
“Amazing quality and great to write with”
“Brilliant pens at a great price”
“As advertised”
“easy to hold”
“Great pens with a comfortable grip”
“Great quality, perfect for artistry and other uses”
“producing crisp, clear lines on a variety of paper types”
What buyers complain about
“Poor quality pens”
“breaks easily”
“Dried up ink”
“one of them doesn't work at all”
“Some Colours were dried out”
“they leak constantly”
“didn't realise they are colored”
“a lot of the ink is dried up so doesnt work”
“The pen nibs are furred”
“the ink flow in this pack is extremely poor”
Top return reasons
Common questions
- Is coloured pens profitable to sell on Amazon United Kingdom?
- The niche generates £172K/yr across 24 tracked products. 1 of 2 products launched in the last 360 days are still selling. 90-day search growth is -14.3%. Flapen's verdict: Skip it (40/100).
- How competitive is the coloured pens niche?
- 13 brands and 206 sellers compete. The top 5 products take 59% of clicks and top 5 brands hold 86% of demand.
- What do buyers complain about in coloured pens?
- Top complaints mined from reviews: Quality-Overall, Durability, Dry/Empty Ink. The return rate is 0.2%.
- When does demand for coloured pens peak?
- Demand peaks in Aug–Sep–Oct; the busiest month runs 2.3× the quietest.
- What does it cost to enter the coloured pens niche?
- Listings span £2.06–£9.25; the average listing price is £4.95 (sweet spot $15–$100). The average incumbent carries 6,230 reviews — the moat a new listing must climb.