Re: Not a freebie in sight
I haven't seen refills compatible with Bic four-colour pens for quite a long time. I think I remember a multi storey stationery shop in Glasgow (Scotland) was the last place: their special line was wedding invitations etc. and they probably stayed in business on that, until they didn't, permissive society and divorce I suppose. I am not sure how foor-colour pen user support fitted into that business model.
Then again... there's probably more different types of pen on sale now, so no room for utilitarian refills. Though WHS did have some different types of refill on my last visit. But there's felt pens, gel pens, erasable pens, fluorescent pens, fluorescent-only invisible pens, left-handed pens, fat-fingered pens, ten pens economy pack, laundry markers, CD markers, gold and silver pens, perfumed pens, unicorn pens, and still quite a lot of fountain pens which I think exist mainly to be gifted to children of other people that you don't much like (child or parent or both), as a cunningly subtle punishment. If you don't want to be subtle, give them laundry pens. The effect on clothes will be the same.
I'm old fashioned and am used to shopping physically, in person, which may be the problem. Though if you were rich enough, ordering stuff for delivery was always an option. In ancient Roman times... no, you'd have a slave to send, the market wouldn't deliver. But once you could write a message without a stone slab and chisel... all right, yes I know the Romans could send messages on their hand held tablets, this is getting a bit vague.