Where to buy Sakura Gelly Roll pens, and which line to buy
Sakura invented gel ink in 1984, and the Gelly Roll is the pen that came out of it — the white pen art students use on black paper. The confusing part is not where to buy one. It is that “Gelly Roll” is seven different pens. On 31 August 2026 we priced 292 live US listings across the range.
The lines, told apart
| Line | What it is for | Listings | Cheapest | Dearest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic | The original opaque gel, 1984 lineage | 64 | $1.40 | $12.65 |
| Moonlight | Fluorescent, built to glow on dark paper | 63 | $1.76 | $27.75 |
| Stardust | Glitter suspended in the ink | 52 | $1.37 | $19.67 |
| Metallic | Opaque metallics for black card | 69 | $1.40 | $29.29 |
| Glaze | Gloss finish that sits proud of the paper | 1 | $37.99 | $37.99 |
| Shimmer / Moods | Two-tone and colour-shift finishes | 19 | $1.85 | $9.27 |
If you are buying one pen and you remember the pen from school, you want the white Classic in bold. If you are buying for someone who letters or journals, Moonlight on black paper is the one that produces the effect people actually want. Stardust is the one that photographs badly and looks better in person.
Who stocks them
| Seller | Listings | Cheapest | Median | Dearest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blick Art Materials | 167 | $1.37 | $2.20 | $76.96 |
| Utrecht Art Supplies | 96 | $1.37 | $2.36 | $76.96 |
| Michaels Stores | 20 | $2.29 | $2.29 | $104.99 |
| Macy's | 3 | $10.01 | $13.85 | $14.07 |
| Walgreens | 2 | $6.99 | $6.99 | $6.99 |
| Office Depot and OfficeMax | 2 | $29.29 | $37.99 | $37.99 |
| Poshmark | 1 | $8 | $8 | $8 |
| TikTok Shop US - Marketplaces | 1 | $33.65 | $33.65 | $33.65 |
Two art suppliers carry almost the entire range at single-pen granularity; the craft and office chains carry sets. That is the practical split — single replacements from the art suppliers, gift sets from the craft chains.
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Singles under $3
| Pen | Seller | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Sakura Gelly Roll Retractable Stardust Pen - Green Star, Medium Tip | Utrecht Art Supplies | $1.37 |
| Sakura Gelly Roll Retractable Stardust Pen - Green Star, Medium Tip | Blick Art Materials | $1.37 |
| Sakura Gelly Roll Retractable Stardust Pen - Sky Blue Star, Medium Tip | Blick Art Materials | $1.37 |
| Sakura Gelly Roll Retractable Stardust Pen - Sky Blue Star, Medium Tip | Utrecht Art Supplies | $1.37 |
| Sakura Gelly Roll Opaque White Pen - Bold Tip | Blick Art Materials | $1.40 |
| Sakura Gelly Roll Opaque White Pen - Fine Tip | Blick Art Materials | $1.40 |
| Sakura Gelly Roll Pen - Fine Point, Black | Blick Art Materials | $1.40 |
| Sakura Gelly Roll Pen - Fine Point, Black | Utrecht Art Supplies | $1.40 |
| Sakura Gelly Roll Pen - Fine Point, Blue | Blick Art Materials | $1.40 |
| Sakura Gelly Roll Pen - Fine Point, Blue | Utrecht Art Supplies | $1.40 |
Sets worth the money
| Set | Seller | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Sakura Gelly Roll Creative Collection Pens - Set of 10, Assorted | Blick Art Materials | $16.61 |
| Sakura Gelly Roll Retractable Metallic Pens - Assorted, Medium Tip, Set of 10 | Blick Art Materials | $17.31 |
| Sakura Gelly Roll Retractable Metallic Pens - Assorted, Medium Tip, Set of 10 | Utrecht Art Supplies | $17.31 |
| Sakura Gelly Roll Ink Metal Effects, Set of 6 | Blick Art Materials | $17.49 |
| Sakura Gelly Roll Retractable Classic Pens - Assorted, Medium Tip, Set of 6 | Blick Art Materials | $17.49 |
| Sakura Gelly Roll Retractable Classic Pens - Assorted, Medium Tip, Set of 10 | Blick Art Materials | $19.07 |
| Sakura Gelly Roll Retractable Classic Pens - Assorted, Medium Tip, Set of 10 | Utrecht Art Supplies | $19.07 |
| Sakura Gelly Roll Retractable Craft Pens - Assorted, Medium Tip, Set of 10 | Utrecht Art Supplies | $19.07 |
Last verified 31 August 2026 against 292 Sakura Gelly Roll listings in the CJ product feed (US advertisers): median single-line price $2.36, range $1.37 to $104.99. Prices move; read them as the market on that date, not a promise. Peer-to-peer marketplace asks of $500 or more are excluded as seller placeholders, as are repdigit asks such as $1,234 and $9,999 wherever they appear; retailer prices are used as published.
The 74-pen complete set appears at $76.96 to $104.99 depending on seller, which is the largest single spread in this pull. It is also the only item here where the craft chain is materially more expensive than the art suppliers for the identical product.
Frequently asked
What is the difference between Gelly Roll and Moonlight?
Moonlight is a fluorescent Gelly Roll line built to show up on dark paper. Classic Gelly Roll is the standard opaque gel ink.
Who makes Gelly Roll pens?
Sakura Color Products of Osaka, which invented gel ink in 1984 and had already created the oil pastel in 1924 and the Pigma marker in 1982.
How much is a Gelly Roll pen?
Singles started at $1.37 on 31 August 2026; the median listing across the whole range was $2.36.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Sakura Color Products — the 1921 founding, the 1924 oil pastel, the 1982 Pigma marker and the 1984 invention of gel ink
- CJ Affiliate product feeds, US advertisers, queried 31 August 2026