You can buy Copic Markers in a variety of pack sizes, from the big 72 packs to themed 6s, but you can also buy individual Copic Markers whenever you need to.
Which individual Copic Markers are for sale?
In short, there are a great deal of Copic Markers sold as singles you can buy. Depending on the body type of the pen you want (more on this later) you can get any of the Copic colors as a stand alone pen. This spans the range from the obvious and more common primary colors, all the way through to the lesser seen fluorescent markers.
Buying individual Copic Ciaos
Copic Ciaos are the cheapest individual markers to purchase, but only 180 of the Copic colors are available in this size.
Buying single Copic Sketch
Individual Copic Sketch pens are available in the widest array of colors. That’s all 358 different varieties available.
Buying single Copic Classic
You can buy individual Copic Classics in 214 colors (including 44 shades of gray, that’s just 6 shy of a racy novel).
Buying single Copic Wide
You can buy indvidual Copic Wides, but they only come in 36 different colors.
Where to buy single Copic Markers?
You can find an array of individual Copic Markers on Amazon. They are also available directly from Copic. For other retailers, you are more likley to finder a wider variety of pens available online than you are in store.
Why would you buy individual Copic Markers
There are a number of scenarios where you will find the purchase of a single Copic marker to be your best option. Opening a new set of Copic Markers is a pretty good feeling, so let’s explore why you might go down the single route.
Buying single Copic Markers when getting started with alcohol markers
Copic Markers are an investment, so if you are looking to see if the investment is right for you, the cheapest point of entry is to buy a single marker. We’ve explored the best Copic Markers to start with and insert starter colors for Copic Markers elsewhere.
Buying single Copic Markers when you are an advanced user
At the other end of the spectrum, if you are an expert with alcohol markers you will have very specific needs. Need the 110 special black when a simple 100 black won’t do? You could find a set of 12 featuring the 110, but the cheapest and quickest option will be to buy a single 110 and crack on with the artwork.
Buying single Copic Markers to fill gaps in a set
Somewhere between being a starter and an expert, you will likely find a need adding in single additions to your Copic collection. You may find yourself with blending needs for certain groups of colors, a bridge color or a dark end color.
For instance, if you are in posession of the Copic Classic Markers 72 set A, on the green scale you will be in possession of G07, G17, G28 and G99. You can get a smooth blend going between the first three of these based on their brightness and saturation (for more details on these levels see Getting Started with Copic Markers), but what if you want to start even lighter? In this instance you could plump fo the purchase of an individual G02 Spectrum Green.
Individual Copic Markers as a replacement for an empty pen
You would be an idiot to buy a new pen to replace an empty one. The 2020 released Copic refill is more expensive than its predecessor, but it will still always make more financial sense to refill an empty pen rather than replace it outright.
The only time you would need to buy a single pen as a replacement is if you have lost or damaged one you already own. In this case, replacement makes much more sense than rebuying the set the pen originally came in.
The cost of individual Copic Markers
Buying individual Copic Markers will always be more expensive per pen than buying a set. A standard classic will cost somewhere between $6 and $10, depending on where you shop and what’s on offer.
The cost vs Copic Packs
In doing the work to establish the lifetime cost of Copic Markers per refill, we also took in a lot of information on the different cost of Copic pens depending on the size of pack you buy.
| Number of Pens | Cost of Pack | Cost per Pen |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $8.00 | $8.00 |
| 12 | £80 | $6.67 |
| 72 | $421 | $5.85 |
Taking an average of the RRP, you can see that it costs $1.33 more per pen if you buy a single as opposed to buying a pack of twelve.
The cost, predictably, is even cheaper when buying bigger packs. Buying a 72 pack of Copic Classics equates to spending $5.85 per pen, a whopping $2.15 per pen than if you bought in singles.
It’s a no brainer when building out your Copic selection, buying in bulk is significantly cheaper.
Storing single Copic Markers
As multipacks of Copic Markers come with their own storage solution, the other downside to buying individual markers is that they don’t come with their own home. How best to avoid loose pens floating about, alienated from the pack?
An empty marker storage solution can be a great answer to this question, whether you use Copics or not. These can usurp the boxes the markers come with, making them even more accessible as you work. ArtBin trays also make a lot of sense, allowing you to stand markers up inside pretty much any container you can think of (from bags to boxes).
Or you can just let it all hang out and whack them in a pencil case.
Are there Copic pens you can only get buy buying individual pens?
There are no Copic colors that you can only find by buying a pen individually. For instance, you will even find fluorescent numbers tucked away in the Copic Sketch 72 set D.
As a result, unless you are just getting started or have a very specific need, it will be more cost effective to find multipacks of Copic markers which fill the gaps in your color need.