pencils
Worth a lookShows low returns (0.1%), but prices mostly outside the sweet spot ($0.89–$14.92) keeps it on the watch list.
Returns
Incredible0.1%return rate — above 5% kills the launch gate
Conversion
Great10.6%search→purchase rate — share of searches ending in a sale
Market size
Good£774K£774K/yr · 1.7M searches
Growth
Okay+19.8%90-day search growth — must beat 0% to launch
Competition
Okay55%top-5 click share — leaders hold, buyers still browse
Brand share
Okay82%top-5 brand share — brands hold most of the demand
Quality gap
Bad4.7★avg incumbent rating — lower means beatable quality
Review moat
Bad9,778.08avg incumbent reviews — the moat a new listing must climb
Avg price
Bad£4.31avg listing price — sweet spot $15–$100
Price range
Bad£0.89–£14.92cheapest to priciest tracked listing — scored on the share inside $15–$100
According to Flapen's Amazon United Kingdom niche tracking, pencils is a £774K/yr Amazon United Kingdom market (1.7M searches/yr). The top 5 brands hold 82% of demand. Demand peaks in Aug–Sep. Verdict: Worth a look — 52/100.
Data updated Jul 29, 2026 · scored weekly · How we score niches
pencils market data
- Units sold / yr
- 200K–250K
- avg 6,000–8,000/product
- Revenue / yr
- £862K–£1.1M
- units × avg price
- Conversion rate
- 10.6%
- Avg BSR
- #20
- Page quality
- 0%
- Prime
- 96%
- Sponsored
- 73%
- Out of stock
- 0.0%
- Avg brand age
- 48 months
- Avg seller age
- 171 days
Competition & brand share
The top 5 products take 55% of clicks — established leaders, but buyers still shop beyond them.Brands
16 flat
Sellers
100
Top-5 brand share
82%
Top 20: 100%
Top-5 click share
55%
Top 20: 94%
Open market
15%
- STAEDTLER42%
- Amazon Basics17%
- Helix16%
- Q-Connect4%
- BIC EVOLUTION4%
- Drawlish3%
- Open — no brand owns it (10 brands, 15%)
Demand & seasonality
Weekly Amazon search volume, last 104 weeks — +19.8% search growth over the last 90 days.Peak months: Aug, Sep · busiest ÷ quietest = 2.5×
Top pencils search terms
- pencils923K/yr
- pencil307K/yr
- hb pencils112K/yr
- pencils with rubbers on the end93K/yr
- staedtler pencils50K/yr
- school pencils23K/yr
- hb pencils with rubber23K/yr
- writing pencils18K/yr
- pencils for school26K/yr
- hb pencil14K/yr
Top 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.
All 24 tracked products in this niche — three views at once, no toggling.
Top sellers
by 90-day click share
Amazon Basics Wood Cased Graphite HB Pencils presharpened no smudge eraser tip Pack of 12
Amazon Basics£2.564.7★102,811 rev
Helix Oxford HB Pencils (Pack of 12) P35010
Helix£1.814.7★903 rev
STAEDTLER 121-2 BK5D Noris School Graphite Pencils - HB Degree (Pack of 5) Grey
STAEDTLER£1.474.6★2,070 rev
STAEDTLER 121S1BK10D Noris School Graphite Pencils - HB Degree (Pack of 10 Pencils + Sharpener + Eraser)
STAEDTLER£3.034.7★726 rev
STAEDTLER 122-2 BK10 Noris Graphite Pencil with Eraser Tip - HB (Pack of 10)
STAEDTLER£4.494.7★10,640 rev
Newest
by launch date
Westcott HB pencils 12 pieces | Value pack of pencils with eraser | Hexagonal shaft in dark blue | E-733992 00
Westcott£2.6068 rev
HB Pencils With Rubbers on the End - Pack of 12 + 1 Sharpened Graphite Pencils - Long Lasting Durable Hexagonal Sketching Pencil for Kids - Ideal Drawing Pencil for School Work Home & Artist
Drawlish£3.34239 rev
Shuttle Art #2 HB Pencils with Rubbers 180 Pack Bulk Sharpened for Kids & Teachers School Writing Wooden Yellow Pencils Set for Children Back to School Supplies
Shuttle Art£14.92365 rev
Shuttle Art #2 HB Pencils with Rubbers 60 Pack Bulk Pencils Set Sharpened Pencils for Kids Teachers Writing Graphiting School Writing Wooden Yellow Pencils Set for Children Back to School Supplies
Shuttle Art£8.042,060 rev
HRLORK 15 PCS HB Pencils with Eraser 5 colors Pencils for Drawing Sketching Writing office Home-Style 01
HRLORK£4.42122 rev
Trending
90-day click momentum
Classmaster GP12HBETHB Graphite Pencils with Erasers - Ideal for Art Drawing and Shading (Pack of 12)
SHOW-ME£1.624.7★
Eziglide HB Pencils Pack of 12 Hexagonal Graphite Pencils for Kids
Eziglide£4.644.6★
Helix Oxford HB Pencils (Pack of 12) P35010
Helix£1.814.7★
Q-Connect HB Office Pencil (12 Pack)
Q-Connect£0.894.8★
STAEDTLER 121S1BK10D Noris School Graphite Pencils - HB Degree (Pack of 10 Pencils + Sharpener + Eraser)
STAEDTLER£3.034.7★
What buyers say about pencils
What buyers praise and complain about, mined from review topics.What buyers love
“It is of excellent quality and excellent timeing”
“Great pencils”
“Worth the money”
“As advertised”
“are great for everyday writing or schoolwork”
“Very bright colours”
“Nice sharp pencils”
“eraser is readily usable without marking or tearing paper”
“These will be perfect for my grandchildrens drawings”
“dont break easily”
What buyers complain about
“Poor quality”
“when sharpen led breaks straight away”
“Break easily unfortunately”
“Erasers always falls off”
“Cheap”
“Poor quality rubber blackens the drawing pencil ok rubber tip poor quality”
“Very faint for an HB pencil — I found myself having to go over my writing multiple times just to see it clearly”
“These pencils are harder than HB”
“Colours break quick”
“Pencils are ok however the attachment of the Rubber on every piece is wobbly”
Top return reasons
Common questions
- Is pencils profitable to sell on Amazon United Kingdom?
- The niche generates £774K/yr across 26 tracked products. 90-day search growth is +19.8%. Flapen's verdict: Worth a look (52/100).
- How competitive is the pencils niche?
- 16 brands and 100 sellers compete. The top 5 products take 55% of clicks and top 5 brands hold 82% of demand.
- What do buyers complain about in pencils?
- Top complaints mined from reviews: Quality-Overall, Sharpness, Durability. The return rate is 0.1%.
- When does demand for pencils peak?
- Demand peaks in Aug–Sep; the busiest month runs 2.5× the quietest.
- What does it cost to enter the pencils niche?
- Listings span £0.89–£14.92; the average listing price is £4.31 (sweet spot $15–$100). The average incumbent carries 9,778 reviews — the moat a new listing must climb.