On a regular basis I pickup a pen and it works for about 2-3 words. Then it stops working. (Bic type pens not something fancy)
Is this a common problem and if so what can I do about it?
Pilot G2.
I never have that problem. I have pens I’ve been using for years. They’re the cheap stick pens, come in a bag 12 for $1.00.
Store point down, cap on.
I hate that. It is a known, though I cannot say how common, problem with the cheapest of the cheap pens, and what you can do about it is invest in pens that are still dirt cheap but actually write, like a Pilot or Sakura gel pen or some kind of rollerball.
some of the pens that do this are not bic pens , they are better quality (or seem to be) freebies I get from various places.
If this is literally true, then I suspect you are either
(1) trying to use pens that are basically already out of ink, or
(2) trying to use ballpoint pens to write upside down or sideways.
The usual problem is that the ink dries out, clogging the tip – not that it runs out of ink.
As running coach said, store point down & capped so less exposure to air.
Sometimes they can be restored by soaking the tip in hot water, or heating it a bit. (The traditional way was holding the tip against a hot (incandescent) light bulb. That won’t work with new florescent or LED bulbs. So how do we do that now? See, another thing destroyed by fascistic government regulation! 
This, but add running coach’s post #4.
I used to have this problem a lot until I started storing them cap on, point down. I blame BIC for designing the pen to put in your pocket with the cap on point up.
Are you trying to write on something that is greasy?
Are you trying to write with the pen point higher than the well?
I have never had this problem, even with cheap pens, although expensive pens are just better, unless one of the above.
You could also try a Bic lighter to fix a Bic pen. Just make sure to wear your sun glasses.
I’ve tried many pens of various prices, but the only pens I’ve had consistently work well until actually out of ink are the classic Bic stick pens, when stored with cap on and point down.
My overall experiences with el-cheepo ball-point pens seems to be:
(1) Reputable name-brands (e.g., Bic or Paper-Mate) work well. Doesn’t matter if they are stored point-up or down or laying on their sides. (Ambient temperature might make a difference. Maybe don’t leave them on the dashboard of your car in the sun.) Expect to pay several dollars for a package of 10. It so happens I use Paper-Mate, and yes, they go in my pocket point-up.
(2) The cheap-ass knock-offs you find in dollar stores, in packages of 10 for $1.00, those are the ones I’ve always had bad luck with. These have fairly consistently been the ones that write for a few words then quit.
I have found if I buy ball point pens, they die in days/weeks.
But if I use extra cheap give a way pens like amscott has they last for much much longer.
On another tack: Are you tossing the bad ones as you find them?
Someone once did so in front of me, remarking how common it is for people to try a pen, find it doesn’t work, and then put it right back in the cup while trying another.
So I always toss them immediately after failure.
Best answer evar.
Once I discovered these, never needed to use any other pen.
Those can also stop working or suffer from inconsistent ink flow (I suppose any pen can), just not after 2-3 words. There is also Pilot G1. Some gel pens work better than others; I have no idea which brands are better or worse, but enough offices buy those Pilot G1/2 or Sakura in bulk that it seems like a good price/quality point for cheap disposable pens.
Simply buy brands that keep working (which aren’t necessarily only the costliest brands). Many brands are just total crap for cheap basic products like pens. Promotional and nice-looking doesn’t mean that they actually work. In fact, companies have an incentive to produce nice-looking pens, and almost none to produce pens that work.
The problem with this kind of products is that precisely there’s no brand recognition (apart from BIC). They’re consider basically as generic products, and people buy randomly any brand. The result is that producers don’t have any incentive to produce a pen that actually writes. Unhappy or happy customer will typically stop buying cheap pens in general or will keep buying them randomly. At best, they’ll remember that they like/were happy with a pen that “looks like that”, which doesn’t necessarily mean produced by the same company. There isn’t much reason to pay attention to the quality of your product in these conditions.
The same is even truer for disposable lighters (they often don’t even have a brand name), tape, etc…
I trash the bad ones. I will try to buy BIC and store with point down.
Bic pens are currently $1.17 for a dozen at Wal-Mart.