Is hb pencils profitable to sell on Amazon United States?

The niche generates $194K/yr across 26 tracked products. 0 of 1 products launched in the last 360 days are still selling. 90-day search growth is -18.2%. Flapen's verdict: Skip it (42/100).

How competitive is the hb pencils niche?

8 brands and 92 sellers compete. The top 5 products take 57% of clicks and top 5 brands hold 95% of demand.

What do buyers complain about in hb pencils?

Top complaints mined from reviews: Quality-Overall, Sharpness, Value For Money. The return rate is 0.3%.

When does demand for hb pencils peak?

Demand peaks in Jul–Aug–Sep–Oct–Nov; the busiest month runs 4.4× the quietest.

What does it cost to enter the hb pencils niche?

Listings span $2.65–$212.74; the average listing price is $27.17 (sweet spot $15–$100). The average incumbent carries 10,893 reviews — the moat a new listing must climb.

hb pencils

Skip it

Brand-locked demand (top 5 brands take 95% of clicks) — this niche doesn't clear our bar today.

Returns

Incredible0.3%

return rate — above 5% kills the launch gate

Avg price

Incredible$27.17

avg listing price — sweet spot $15–$100

Conversion

Good5.5%

search→purchase rate — share of searches ending in a sale

Competition

Okay57%

top-5 click share — leaders hold, buyers still browse

Price range

Okay$2.65–$212.74

cheapest to priciest tracked listing — scored on the share inside $15–$100

Market size

Okay$194K

$194K/yr · 129K searches

Review moat

Bad10,892.62

avg incumbent reviews — the moat a new listing must climb

Growth

Bad-18.2%

90-day search growth — must beat 0% to launch

Quality gap

Bad4.8★

avg incumbent rating — lower means beatable quality

Brand share

Bad95%

top-5 brand share — brand-locked demand

According to Flapen's Amazon United States niche tracking, hb pencils is a $194K/yr Amazon United States market (129K searches/yr). The top 5 brands hold 95% of demand. Demand peaks in Jul–Aug–Sep–Oct–Nov. Verdict: Skip it — 42/100.

Data updated Jul 10, 2026 · scored weekly · How we score niches

hb pencils market data

Units sold / yr: 8K–10K; avg 250–500/product
Revenue / yr: $217K–$272K; units × avg price
Conversion rate: 5.5%
Avg BSR: #186
Page quality: 0%
Prime: 100%
Sponsored: 62%
Out of stock: 3.6%
Avg brand age: 69 months
Avg seller age: 158 days

Competition & brand share

The top 5 products take 57% of clicks — established leaders, but buyers still shop beyond them.

Brands

8 flat

Sellers

Top-5 brand share

95%

Top 20: 100%

Top-5 click share

57%

Top 20: 94%

Open market

Faber-Castell70%
STAEDTLER13%
Amazon Basics7%
Ticonderoga3%
HAIHAOMUM2%
Aenir2%
Open — no brand owns it (2 brands, 3%)

Demand & seasonality

Weekly Amazon search volume, last 104 weeks — -18.2% search growth over the last 90 days.

Peak months: Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov · busiest ÷ quietest = 4.4×

Open Trend

Top hb pencils search terms

faber castell pencils67K/yr -23.0%4.5% conv.
hb pencils24K/yr +12.3%5.9% conv.
hb pencils for drawing13K/yr -28.4%8.2% conv.
hb pencil10K/yr -20.5%5.3% conv.
faber castell pencil8K/yr -26.4%1.8% conv.
faber castell drawing pencils3K/yr -22.6%6.6% conv.
faber castell pencil set4K/yr -41.5%5.7% conv.

All search terms

Top hb 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.

Beatable (≤4.3★) Contested Strong incumbent (>4.7★)

All 24 tracked products in this niche — three views at once, no toggling.

Top sellers

by 90-day click share

Faber-Castell 9000 Graphite Sketch Pencil Sets Art 8B - 2H set of 12

Faber-Castell$12.954.9★12,410 rev

Faber-Castell Graphite Sketch Pencil Set - 6 Graphite Pencils (2H HB B 2B 4B 6B) Drawing Pencils and Sketching Supplies

Faber-Castell$8.284.8★4,869 rev

STAEDTLER Mars Lumograph HB Graphite Art Drawing Pencil 6 Pencils

STAEDTLER$9.194.8★833 rev

Faber-Castell Pitt Graphite Matte Pencil Set Metal Tin of 8 Graphite Pencils and Sketching Accessories (HB 2B 4B 6B 8B 10B 12B 14B) Pencil Sharpener Eraser and Blending Stump

Faber-Castell$21.844.8★3,650 rev

Faber-Castell - Castell 9000 Art Set Pencil (Pack of 6) Green

Faber-Castell$9.134.8★6,801 rev

Newest

by launch date

Aenir Sketch Pencils for Drawing Drawing Pencils Set of 18 10B4H Graphite Pencil Vinyl Eraser Kneaded Eraser Sharpener Blending Stump Sketch Set for Artists Art Supplies.

Aenir$10.64632 rev

8mo ago

Amazon Basics Sketch and Drawing Art Supply Kit 17-Piece Charcoal and Pencil Set Black White

Amazon Basics$212.7434,230 rev

1y ago

STAEDTLER Norica #2 HB Wood-Cased Pencil Set: 18 Pre-Sharpened Graphite Pencils with 1 Eraser & 1 Sharpener Break-Resistant Lead For Writing & Drawing Blue Ideal for Classroom Home & Office

STAEDTLER$4.92181 rev

1y ago

Faber-Castell Graphite Pencils Drawing Set | Back to School Art Supplies | 12 Art Pencils for Sketching (4H 3H 2H H F HB B 2B 3B 4B 5B and 6B) Shading Kit

Faber-Castell$14.00217 rev

2y ago

STAEDTLER Mars Lumograph HB Graphite Art Drawing Pencil 6 Pencils

STAEDTLER$9.19833 rev

3y ago

What buyers say about hb pencils

What buyers praise and complain about, mined from review topics.

What buyers love

Quality-Overall18%

“Excellent product”

Value For Money14%

“Affordable price”

Pen/Pencil Quality12%

“Great Pencils”

Sharpness10%

“Sharp and easy to sharpen”

Erasability5%

“Eraser works great too which is really important for me”

Color5%

“I love the colors”

Advertised Vs Actual Product5%

“As advertised”

Durability4%

“they do not break easily”

Ease Of Use4%

“easy to work with thank you”

Drawing Experience3%

“My 10 year old son loves to draw”

What buyers complain about

Quality-Overall16%

“Bad quality”

Sharpness13%

“Not even one pencil sharpened decently, at all, using the standard size pencil sharpener”

Value For Money11%

“At over $1 a piece, thats unacceptable”

Erasability10%

“the eraser is not very good”

Color5%

“They are fine they do feel a little light colored for the rating”

Nib/Tip Quality3%

“Nice pencils, not soft tip”

Writing Experience3%

“I practically tore through a sheet of paper trying to fill in a bubble”

Durability2%

“not that easy to break”

Smell2%

“the cedar doesnt smell as nice as other brands”

Hard Feel2%

“The letter is relatively hard”

Top return reasons

Value For Money25%

Size-Overall10%

Quality-Overall9%

Advertised Vs Actual Product9%

Color9%

Ease Of Use6%

Defective Material/Parts5%

Sharpness4%

Erasability3%

Writing Experience2%

Common questions

Is hb pencils profitable to sell on Amazon United States?: The niche generates $194K/yr across 26 tracked products. 0 of 1 products launched in the last 360 days are still selling. 90-day search growth is -18.2%. Flapen's verdict: Skip it (42/100).
How competitive is the hb pencils niche?: 8 brands and 92 sellers compete. The top 5 products take 57% of clicks and top 5 brands hold 95% of demand.
What do buyers complain about in hb pencils?: Top complaints mined from reviews: Quality-Overall, Sharpness, Value For Money. The return rate is 0.3%.
When does demand for hb pencils peak?: Demand peaks in Jul–Aug–Sep–Oct–Nov; the busiest month runs 4.4× the quietest.
What does it cost to enter the hb pencils niche?: Listings span $2.65–$212.74; the average listing price is $27.17 (sweet spot $15–$100). The average incumbent carries 10,893 reviews — the moat a new listing must climb.