What sort of business are you in that you need to write more than 2-3 words?
a few times a year I write a check.
For cheap pens, there’s no reason not to stick to a known brand, like Bic or Pilot or PaperMate, etc.
The Chinese have had trouble making decent ball-point pens.
I store them on their sides frequently, but never point up. I do store them cap on. That’s really important. The ink dries up and the ball won’t roll. You get even a few mms of dried ink on the side of the ball inside the pen, and it’s trashed-- well, if you scratch it on a test spot on some paper, you might get it working, but the clog it still in there.
Places like banks that have pens that are constantly used can keep them cap-off, but if you aren’t constantly using a pen, you need to cap it between uses.
And yeah, as soon as a pen doesn’t work, throw it away.
Also, don’t carry them in your back pocket. You can break the ink reservoir inside the pen so that it won’t write anymore, but unless you look at it closely, you won’t see the problem.
BICs are clear, and you can both see how much ink is left, and if the reservoir is compromised. Also, if you keep them in any pocket, lint can clog the tiny hole that equalizes the pressure inside the pen. If this happens, poke it open with a pin or needle.