Is brown paper towels profitable to sell on Amazon United States?

The niche generates $435K/yr across 24 tracked products. 2 of 2 products launched in the last 360 days are still selling. 90-day search growth is +11.8%. Flapen's verdict: Worth a look (62/100).

How competitive is the brown paper towels niche?

12 brands and 694 sellers compete. The top 5 products take 54% of clicks and top 5 brands hold 74% of demand.

What do buyers complain about in brown paper towels?

Top complaints mined from reviews: Thickness, Absorbency, Quality-Overall. The return rate is 0.2%.

When does demand for brown paper towels peak?

Demand is steady year-round — the busiest month runs 1.4× the quietest.

What does it cost to enter the brown paper towels niche?

Listings span $4.48–$65.35; the average listing price is $30.89 (sweet spot $15–$100). The average incumbent carries 2,196 reviews — the moat a new listing must climb.

brown paper towels

Worth a look

Shows 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

Conversion

Incredible12.7%

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

Avg price

Incredible$30.89

avg listing price — sweet spot $15–$100

Price range

Great$4.48–$65.35

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

Market size

Good$435K

$435K/yr · 111K searches

Competition

Good54%

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

Brand share

Good74%

top-5 brand share — brands hold most of the demand

Quality gap

Okay4.5★

avg incumbent rating — lower means beatable quality

Review moat

Okay2,195.75

avg incumbent reviews — the moat a new listing must climb

Growth

Okay+11.8%

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

According to Flapen's Amazon United States niche tracking, brown paper towels is a $435K/yr Amazon United States market (111K searches/yr). The top 5 brands hold 74% of demand. Verdict: Worth a look — 62/100.

Data updated Jul 21, 2026 · scored weekly · How we score niches

brown paper towels market data

Units sold / yr: 15K–20K; avg 500–750/product
Revenue / yr: $463K–$618K; units × avg price
Conversion rate: 12.7%
Avg BSR: #145
Page quality: 0%
Prime: 92%
Sponsored: 83%
Out of stock: 0.0%
Avg brand age: 81 months
Avg seller age: 153 days

Competition & brand share

The top 5 products take 54% of clicks — established leaders, but buyers still shop beyond them.

Brands

12 flat

Sellers

694

Top-5 brand share

74%

Top 20: 100%

Top-5 click share

54%

Top 20: 96%

Open market

20%

Tork32%
Georgia-Pacific15%
Genuine Joe13%
Seventh Generation7%
Perfect Stix6%
GEN6%

Demand & seasonality

Weekly Amazon search volume, last 104 weeks — +11.8% search growth over the last 90 days.

No pronounced peak months · busiest ÷ quietest = 1.4×

Open Trend

Top brown paper towels search terms

brown paper towels59K/yr +14.9%12.1% conv.
brown paper towel roll15K/yr +8.6%9.0% conv.
brown paper towels for dispenser11K/yr +24.9%10.2% conv.
brown paper towel8K/yr +17.8%11.9% conv.
brown roll paper towels4K/yr +15.2%12.1% conv.
paper towels brown5K/yr -17.6%11.3% conv.
brown paper towel rolls4K/yr +7.0%9.3% conv.
brown paper towels rolls3K/yr -15.7%9.3% conv.
brown paper towel rolls for dispenser2K/yr -2.7%12.8% conv.

All search terms

Top brown paper towels 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

Tork Natural Paper Hand Towel Roll H21 100% Recycled Fiber Universal Fit 6 Rolls x 800 Ft (RK8002)

Tork$42.054.7★1,443 rev

Tork Multifold Hand Towel Natural 100% recycled FSC certified Compatible with H2 Dispensers 16 packs x 250 sheets (MK520A)

Tork$33.444.4★6,477 rev

Genuine Joe GJO22600 Embossed Hardwound Roll Towels (Pack of 6)

Genuine Joe$33.194.4★3,410 rev

Pacific Blue Basic by Georgia-Pacific PRO Recycled Hardwound Paper Towel Rolls Brown 350 Feet Per Roll 12 Rolls Per Case 26401

Georgia-Pacific$44.044.6★6,561 rev

Kraft MultiFold Paper Towels- Pack of 2-250ct. Total 500 Towels

Perfect Stix$11.784.6★206 rev

Newest

by launch date

Sierra Hygiene 1-Ply Natural (Kraft) Roll Towels 8 x 800 Hardwound Universal Paper Towel Rolls for Commercial Restrooms Restaurants Schools & Offices Case of 6 Rolls Made in USA

Sierra Hygiene Products$29.1349 rev

6mo ago

ECOlipak Paper Towels - 8 Rolls 2 Ply 120 Sheets- Plastic Free Tree Free Compostable Disposable Kitchen Paper Towels Soft and Absorbent PFAS Free Nature

ECOLipak$26.91135 rev

9mo ago

Pokanic Paper Hand Towel [1 Roll] Natural Brown [8 x 350 ft] 1 Ply Hardwound Universal 100% Recycled Fiber Compatible with Tork Dispensers Restrooms Kitchen (Natural 8 x 350 ft)

Pokanic$10.8036 rev

1y ago

Restaurantware Paper Towel Roll 600 x 8 1 Ply Universal Dispenser 2 Core Hardwound High Absorbency Everyday Use For Commercial Washroom Kraft 1 Count

Restaurantware$12.97236 rev

2y ago

Restaurantware M Fold Paper Towels 9.5 x 9.25 Inch - 250 Commercial Multifold Hand Towels 1 Ply Kraft With Full-Dot Embossing - Dispensers Sold Separately

Restaurantware$6.15292 rev

2y ago

What buyers say about brown paper towels

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

What buyers love

Value For Money21%

“Great value”

Quality-Overall19%

“Best Quality”

Advertised Vs Actual Product10%

“AS ADVERTISED”

Eco Friendliness9%

“better for the environment”

Absorbency6%

“Soft & Absorbent”

Ease Of Cleaning4%

“quick cleanups well”

Size-Overall3%

“Great fit”

Ease Of Use3%

“Convenient to use”

Durability3%

“strong and durable”

Strength2%

“Work well, not too brittle”

What buyers complain about

Thickness18%

“Wanted something much thicker”

Absorbency14%

“Not as Absorbent”

Quality-Overall12%

“poor quality control”

Size-Overall11%

“the roll is pretty small”

Value For Money6%

“A little pricey”

Strength4%

“Very flimsy”

Durability4%

“Fall apart”

Advertised Vs Actual Product3%

“Not as pictured”

Smell3%

“They come with a smell”

Ease Of Cleaning2%

“They leave more fuzzies behind when cleaning than other paper towels too”

Top return reasons

Size-Overall35%

Color29%

Advertised Vs Actual Product10%

Quality-Overall6%

Value For Money3%

Thin2%

Absorbency2%

Compatibility-Overall2%

Defective Material/Parts2%

Thickness1%

Common questions

Is brown paper towels profitable to sell on Amazon United States?: The niche generates $435K/yr across 24 tracked products. 2 of 2 products launched in the last 360 days are still selling. 90-day search growth is +11.8%. Flapen's verdict: Worth a look (62/100).
How competitive is the brown paper towels niche?: 12 brands and 694 sellers compete. The top 5 products take 54% of clicks and top 5 brands hold 74% of demand.
What do buyers complain about in brown paper towels?: Top complaints mined from reviews: Thickness, Absorbency, Quality-Overall. The return rate is 0.2%.
When does demand for brown paper towels peak?: Demand is steady year-round — the busiest month runs 1.4× the quietest.
What does it cost to enter the brown paper towels niche?: Listings span $4.48–$65.35; the average listing price is $30.89 (sweet spot $15–$100). The average incumbent carries 2,196 reviews — the moat a new listing must climb.