pens
Skip itPrices mostly outside the sweet spot ($1.78–$13.57) — this niche doesn't clear our bar today.
Returns
Incredible0.1%return rate — above 5% kills the launch gate
Market size
Incredible£2.4M£2.4M/yr · 5.7M searches
Conversion
Great8.5%search→purchase rate — share of searches ending in a sale
Competition
Okay64%top-5 click share — leaders hold, buyers still browse
Brand share
Okay88%top-5 brand share — brands hold most of the demand
Quality gap
Okay4.6★avg incumbent rating — lower means beatable quality
Review moat
Bad7,527.59avg incumbent reviews — the moat a new listing must climb
Growth
Bad-5.4%90-day search growth — must beat 0% to launch
Avg price
Bad£5.03avg listing price — sweet spot $15–$100
Price range
Bad£1.78–£13.57cheapest to priciest tracked listing — scored on the share inside $15–$100
According to Flapen's Amazon United Kingdom niche tracking, pens is a £2.4M/yr Amazon United Kingdom market (5.7M searches/yr). The top 5 brands hold 88% of demand. Verdict: Skip it — 48/100.
Data updated Jul 29, 2026 · scored weekly · How we score niches
pens market data
- Units sold / yr
- 500K–600K
- avg 20,000–25,000/product
- Revenue / yr
- £2.5M–£3.0M
- units × avg price
- Conversion rate
- 8.5%
- Avg BSR
- #5
- Page quality
- 0%
- Prime
- 94%
- Sponsored
- 94%
- Out of stock
- 0.0%
- Avg brand age
- 40 months
- Avg seller age
- 167 days
Competition & brand share
The top 5 products take 64% of clicks — established leaders, but buyers still shop beyond them.Brands
10 falling
Sellers
222
Top-5 brand share
88%
Top 20: 100%
Top-5 click share
64%
Top 20: 100%
Open market
8%
- Zebra Pen41%
- BIC26%
- G4GADGET11%
- Paper Mate7%
- Stylostik4%
- UIXJODO4%
- Open — no brand owns it (4 brands, 8%)
Demand & seasonality
Weekly Amazon search volume, last 104 weeks — -5.4% search growth over the last 90 days.No pronounced peak months · busiest ÷ quietest = 1.5×
Top pens search terms
- pens2.5M/yr
- pen981K/yr
- black pens489K/yr
- pens black ink270K/yr
- zebra pens266K/yr
- biro pens158K/yr
- ballpoint pens171K/yr
- pens multipack70K/yr
- black pen94K/yr
- writing pens98K/yr
Top 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 17 tracked products in this niche — three views at once, no toggling.
Top sellers
by 90-day click share
Zebra Pen Z Grip Black Ballpoint Pens with Pocket Clip 8pk Retractable Black Ink Ballpoint Pens Reliable Black Biro Pens Multipack for Everyday Use Design New Pack Size 8pk
Zebra Pen£2.054.6★4,682 rev
BIC Cristal Original Smudge Free Ballpoint Pens Ideal for School Black Medium Point (1.0mm) Pack of 50
BIC£8.874.7★37,088 rev
Paper Mate Flexgrip Ultra Retractable Ballpoint Pens | Medium Point (1.0mm) | Black | 5 Count
Paper Mate£3.544.6★14,203 rev
G4GADGET Premium Pack of 10 Black Biro Ballpoint Pens - Medium Tip for Fluent Smooth Writing - Professional Quality Pens for Home Office and School Use - Long-Lasting Ink and Ergonomic Design
G4GADGET£3.364.4★1,041 rev
Zebra Pen Z-GRIP Smooth Ballpoint Pens Black Ink 5pk - Pastel Barrel 1mm Medium Point Retractable Ink Pens with Clip - Smooth Writing Pens with Low Viscosity Ink Comfort Grip - 5 Pens Multipack
Zebra Pen£2.974.6★587 rev
Newest
by launch date
JIMMIDDA 8 Pack Gel Pens | Black Ink Quick-Drying No Smudge with Fidget
JIMMIDDA£10.191,143 rev
Bic Cristal Soft Ballpoint Pens Smooth Easy-Glide Ink Medium 1.2mm Tip Comfortable Writing Black School & Office Supplies Pack of 10
BIC£3.331,661 rev
BIC Cristal Original Ballpoint Pens Medium Tip (1 mm) Black Box of 10
BIC£1.781,649 rev
Zebra Pen Z-GRIP Smooth Ballpoint Pens Black Ink 5pk - Pastel Barrel 1mm Medium Point Retractable Ink Pens with Clip - Smooth Writing Pens with Low Viscosity Ink Comfort Grip - 5 Pens Multipack
Zebra Pen£2.97587 rev
Zebra Pen Z-GRIP Soft Touch Black Ink Ballpoint Pens 3pk - 1.0mm Medium Point Retractable Pens with Clip Smooth Writing Pens with Comfort Grip - 3 Pens Multipack (Ombre Barrel)
Zebra Pen£1.85413 rev
Trending
90-day click momentumJIMMIDDA 8 Pack Gel Pens | Black Ink Quick-Drying No Smudge with Fidget
JIMMIDDA£10.194.7★
Eziglide Ballpoint Pens Black Ink 100-Pack (1.0mm) Medium Point Nib Pens
Eziglide£13.574.4★
Zebra Pen Z-Grip 8pk Assorted
Zebra Pen£2.064.6★
Bic Cristal Soft Ballpoint Pens Smooth Easy-Glide Ink Medium 1.2mm Tip Comfortable Writing Black School & Office Supplies Pack of 10
BIC£3.334.6★
BIC Cristal Original Smudge Free Ballpoint Pens Ideal for School Black Medium Point (1.0mm) Pack of 50
BIC£8.874.7★
What buyers say about pens
What buyers praise and complain about, mined from review topics.What buyers love
“Smooth Writing”
“Great value”
“Good quality pens”
“Good quality pens for the price”
“As advertised”
“Very comfortable”
“Comfortable grip”
“beautiful colours”
“Easy to use”
“Amazing and durable”
What buyers complain about
“Mixed quality and some don't work well”
“Very thin and leaks ink”
“Broke within the first 5 minutes of using”
“Leaked everywhere”
“soon after stop writing”
“only £2.50 what a bargin”
“the ink was dry”
“Poor quality for paper mate”
“looks like the ink is about to run out”
“The ink clumped on the nib”
Top return reasons
Common questions
- Is pens profitable to sell on Amazon United Kingdom?
- The niche generates £2.4M/yr across 17 tracked products. 1 of 1 products launched in the last 360 days are still selling. 90-day search growth is -5.4%. Flapen's verdict: Skip it (48/100).
- How competitive is the pens niche?
- 10 brands and 222 sellers compete. The top 5 products take 64% of clicks and top 5 brands hold 88% of demand.
- What do buyers complain about in pens?
- Top complaints mined from reviews: Quality-Overall, Ink Leakage, Durability. The return rate is 0.1%.
- When does demand for pens peak?
- Demand is steady year-round — the busiest month runs 1.5× the quietest.
- What does it cost to enter the pens niche?
- Listings span £1.78–£13.57; the average listing price is £5.03 (sweet spot $15–$100). The average incumbent carries 7,528 reviews — the moat a new listing must climb.