gel pens
Worth a lookShows low returns (0.2%), but a failed launch gate (market size, growth, or returns) keeps it on the watch list.
Returns
Incredible0.2%return rate — above 5% kills the launch gate
Brand share
Great42%top-5 brand share — no brand owns this niche
Competition
Great37%top-5 click share — an open shelf
Conversion
Good5.9%search→purchase rate — share of searches ending in a sale
Market size
Good£448K£448K/yr · 864K searches
Quality gap
Okay4.5★avg incumbent rating — lower means beatable quality
Price range
Okay£2.05–£24.23cheapest to priciest tracked listing — scored on the share inside $15–$100
Review moat
Okay3,365.96avg incumbent reviews — the moat a new listing must climb
Avg price
Bad£8.73avg listing price — sweet spot $15–$100
Growth
Bad-16.0%90-day search growth — must beat 0% to launch
According to Flapen's Amazon United Kingdom niche tracking, gel pens is a £448K/yr Amazon United Kingdom market (864K searches/yr). The top 5 brands hold 42% of demand. Demand peaks in Dec. Verdict: Worth a look — 58/100.
Data updated Jul 29, 2026 · scored weekly · How we score niches
gel pens market data
- Units sold / yr
- 50K–60K
- avg 750–1,000/product
- Revenue / yr
- £437K–£524K
- units × avg price
- Conversion rate
- 5.9%
- Avg BSR
- #98
- Page quality
- 0%
- Prime
- 100%
- Sponsored
- 87%
- Out of stock
- 1.4%
- Avg brand age
- 38 months
- Avg seller age
- 163 days
Competition & brand share
Clicks spread well past the top 5 (37% combined) — an open shelf where new products get seen.Brands
37 falling
Sellers
162
Top-5 brand share
42%
Top 20: 85%
Top-5 click share
37%
Top 20: 77%
Open market
54%
- Helix11%
- Sharpie10%
- UIXJODO8%
- Mutsitaz7%
- Gurkkst6%
- Surcotto5%
Demand & seasonality
Weekly Amazon search volume, last 104 weeks — -16.0% search growth over the last 90 days.Peak months: Dec · busiest ÷ quietest = 1.8×
Top gel pens search terms
- gel pens451K/yr
- gel pens for writing79K/yr
- gel pen67K/yr
- gel pens for colouring65K/yr
- black gel pens43K/yr
- gel pens black23K/yr
- coloured gel pens18K/yr
- black gel pen15K/yr
- gel ink pens13K/yr
- gel ink rollerball pens11K/yr
Top gel 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
Helix Oxford Colour Gel Pens x10 Pens with Plastic Free Packaging
Helix£2.474.4★2,538 rev
Sharpie S-Gel | Gel Pens | Medium Point (0.7mm) | Black Ink | 3 Count
Sharpie£3.784.5★4,583 rev
Mutsitaz 48 Packs Color Gel Ink Pens Set for Adult Colouring Books Drawing and Writing Manga Markers with 1.0mm Tip (12 Metallic 12 Glitter 12 Neon 12 Water Chalk)
Mutsitaz£7.604.6★1,733 rev
Gel Pens 0.5mm Japanese Black Ink Fine Point Smooth Writing Pens High-End Series Retractable Pens for Journaling Note Taking Cute Office School Supplies Gifts for Women (5 Pcs Morandi)
UIXJODO£7.044.6★17,183 rev
Melifluo 120 Pack Glitter Gel Pens 60 Gel Pens for Colouring with 60 Refills in Zipper Case for Adult Colouring and Drawing Writing
Melifluo£13.024.6★1,604 rev
Newest
by launch date
SimSign Gel Pens Black Ink 0.5mm for Writing Smooth & Quick-Drying Fine Tip Pens Multipack Ideal for School & Office 12 Pack
SimSign£6.30107 rev
NICETY 168 Gel Pens for Colouring - Gel Pens Set 0.5mm Tip with 162 Shades (159 Colours + 3 White/3 Silver/3 Gold) for Professional Artists Sketching & Journaling - Adults Craft Set
NICETY£23.38383 rev
UIXJODO Colorful Pens 6 Pcs Fine Point Smooth Writing Gel Pens 0.5mm Colored Ink for Journaling Note Taking Office School Supplies Gifts for Women (Gold Vintage)
UIXJODO£7.592,442 rev
Betarami 48 Pcs Coloring Gel Pens Including 12 Glitter 12 Metallic 12 Neon 12 Water Chalk Color Pen for Coloring Books Drawing
Betarami£7.02259 rev
Amazon Basics Retractable Gel Ink Pens Rubber Grip Smudge Free Ideal for School Office Fine Point (0.7mm) Black Pack of 12
Amazon Basics£5.933,609 rev
Trending
90-day click momentumSimSign Gel Pens Black Ink 0.5mm for Writing Smooth & Quick-Drying Fine Tip Pens Multipack Ideal for School & Office 12 Pack
SimSign£6.304.2★
Sharpie S-Gel | Gel Pens | Medium Point (0.7mm) | BlackRed & Blue Ink | 3 Count
Sharpie£3.584.5★
Melifluo 120 Pack Glitter Gel Pens 60 Gel Pens for Colouring with 60 Refills in Zipper Case for Adult Colouring and Drawing Writing
Melifluo£13.024.6★
Amazon Basics Retractable Gel Ink Pens Rubber Grip Smudge Free Ideal for School Office Fine Point (0.7mm) Black Pack of 12
Amazon Basics£5.934.6★
BIC Gel-ocity Original Gel Ink Pens With a Soft Grip Seamless Smooth Writing in Black Medium: 0.7mm Pack of 12
BIC£9.714.5★
What buyers say about gel pens
What buyers praise and complain about, mined from review topics.What buyers love
“Easy to write with”
“Best price”
“Excellent pens”
“Economical and a good product”
“The colors are vibrant”
“Comfortable to write”
“Refills also provided which is an excellent addition”
“Easy to write with”
“Also appreciate the comfortable grip”
“the nibs are smooth”
What buyers complain about
“Awful quality”
“Dry ink”
“Those pens didn't work”
“the pens leak ink all over your hand”
“dont last at all”
“rather over priced”
“Scratchy sound when writing”
“sadly nibs are scratchy”
“Not smudge proof”
“Not colored ink”
Top return reasons
Common questions
- Is gel pens profitable to sell on Amazon United Kingdom?
- The niche generates £448K/yr across 46 tracked products. 2 of 3 products launched in the last 360 days are still selling. 90-day search growth is -16.0%. Flapen's verdict: Worth a look (58/100).
- How competitive is the gel pens niche?
- 37 brands and 162 sellers compete. The top 5 products take 37% of clicks and top 5 brands hold 42% of demand.
- What do buyers complain about in gel pens?
- Top complaints mined from reviews: Quality-Overall, Dry/Empty Ink, Functionality-Overall. The return rate is 0.2%.
- When does demand for gel pens peak?
- Demand peaks in Dec; the busiest month runs 1.8× the quietest.
- What does it cost to enter the gel pens niche?
- Listings span £2.05–£24.23; the average listing price is £8.73 (sweet spot $15–$100). The average incumbent carries 3,366 reviews — the moat a new listing must climb.