Flipping watches is a new wave. We here at Timepiece Profits cover all of it, including info on some of the most successful watch resellers out there such as Vookum, whose real name is Tyler Mikorski.
Most well-known on Tiktok where he’s approaching 2 million followers as of mid 2023, Vookum is more than just an internet celebrity–he also owns a thriving watch business under the same name.
Let’s dive into who he is, how he got started, and how he makes money.
Table of Contents
Who is Vookum?
Vookum is a wholesale jewelry and watch dealer based in Hazlet, New Jersey. It’s also the nickname that its founder Tyler Mikorski is known by.
Mikorski’s company primarily sells high end watches such as Rolex, Audemars Piguet, and Patek Phillipe.
According to Tyler, there’s no meaning to the name of the company. It’s just a random name he picked while drunk that he Googled and found no other existing companies or individuals going by that name.
History of Vookum
Tyler Mikorski is “just a kid from Central Jersey” who has always been a hustler: in this interview, he states “Ask anyone that grew up with me, I’ve been just selling stuff.”
He dabbled in numerous entrepreneurial ventures including SMMA but always sold watches and jewelry to support himself.
From Jersey, he would schlep over to 47th Street, aka the Diamond District, in New York City where he would make relationships with dealers and find watches to flip.
Fast forward to today, and he’s still hitting up the Diamond District, but this time with more relationships and as a low-key TikTok celebrity.
How does Vookum make money?
Although they also sell jewelry, the majority of Vookum’s profits come from luxury watches.
He understands and trades the market at an expert level and a high enough volume to make a good living from it.
Tyler Mikorski and his team have built up a vast knowledge base and inventory of various expensive watch models. Combining this knowledge with relationships on both the buying and selling side is the formula that allows money making deals to happen for Vookum and all watch resellers.
We’re not sure how much money Vookum makes exactly, but in his quick flips videos on TikTok he’s normally making $800-$1000+ per deal, sometimes in less than 30 minutes. Other deals he can make $5,000-$10,000 or more. So it would be a conservative estimate that Vookum is making up to five figures per week selling watches in person.
The website Vookum.com likely generates seven figures in revenue annually from watch sales.
With over 60,000 YouTube subscribers and nearly 2 million followers on TikTok as of mid 2023, Vookum also generates money from social media.
Vookum on Tiktok
Vookum has been showing up on the For You Page of many users of TikTok. Because of his personality, many simply find the videos entertaining, while others who are entrepreneurially inclined might learn some valuable lessons from watching these videos.
Here are some core watch dealer skills that Vookum presents on his TikTok:
When viewing Vookum’s channel through the lens of a potential watch dealer, you’ll be able to pick up various insights such as:
- Watch model knowledge and appreciation
- Price awareness
- Firm negotiation skills
- Rapport and repeat business
- Speed and efficiency
Vookum’s future
Tyler Mikorski is 23 years old as of early 2023, so he is fairly early in his career as a watch dealer.
Generation Z, which Vookum is part of, is becoming a large part of the luxury watch market. He is both a sign of this trend and also a factor that is helping to drive its growth.
Given that the watch market is growing and should continue to do so, it seems that Vookum is on the right path and is getting a nice slice of the billion dollar watch pie.
In addition to his shop and social media presence, Vookum announced his first in person event, a watch trade show in August 2023.
It will be nice to see what the future holds for both Vookum and the watch market.
Conclusion
Vookum has managed to build a thriving business in the luxury watch industry in a relatively short period of time.
His TikToks, which primarily show him closing high-end watch deals, will continue to entertain many and educate those with the right mindset and are likely what he is most known for in pop culture.
Although entertaining, most ordinary individuals are unable to repeat what Vookum is doing. One factor that makes his lifestyle unattainable for most is the cost to participate. The cheapest watch model Vookum trades is the Rolex Datejust which goes for $5,000-$10,000, which is out of reach for the ordinary individual to get started in the watch game.
If you don’t have the money right now to trade Rolex watches, you can save up until you’re able to or you can trade cheaper watches such as certain Seiko models which you can buy in the $200-$500 range and still generate some profit.
Make sure to check out our email list which includes a free list of the best watches to trade as a beginner with a limited budget.
Who knows, maybe you can work your way up to doing Vookum level deals in the future–anything is possible!