Q&A with Tyler Mikorski: founder of Vookum
Disclaimer*: All questions were asked while Tyler was on the toilet
DVW: Who is Tyler Mikorski and how did Vookum start? Was there a goal in mind and where did the name come from?
Tyler Mikorski is just a guy in Central Jersey that had an entrepreneurial thing going on since he was a kid. Ask anyone that grew up with me, I’ve been just selling stuff. When I was 18, I graduated high school. John “Buckley” took me to 47th street to try to sell some watches. I went away for college, ultimately dropped out of school, and went back onto 47th street. I tried a couple of other things at the time such as a SMMA company (social media marketing agency. I’ve been selling watches and jewelry this whole time. I was doing well with the SMMA company, but COVID wiped out my customer base, and started doing watches full-time. Starting in March 2019, that’s when I went full force with watches, being on the street every day.
Everyone thinks that the name means something to me, that it’s my middle name etc. It doesn’t have any meaning at all, it just sounds cool. I had a little bit too much to drink and I started googling random words. When googling Vookum, nothing came up so it did for me. After 10-15 words, Vookum was born. When asked if any other words were competing with Vookum, Tyler Mikorski replied “do the other words matter”.
Vookum Logo
DVW: In the beginning, how did you start trading with watches? What were your initial experiences being new into the business from both dealers and end users?
I grew up with James “Buckley'' as a kid and started working with his dad right after high school. I was 18 when I sold my first watch. John Buckley gave me a steel quickset women's Datejust and told me “I own this for 1800, get me $1900 for it. Sell it for whatever”. This happened on 47th st. I simply just walked up and down the street introducing myself to these dealers, sharks if you will. Keep in mind, I’m not a dealer and I’m new so these jewelry and watch guys wouldn't even look at me twice. I was lowballed and even scoffed at, but it's standard here in the diamond district. I remember being buzzed into this one jeweler's office. After some back and forth, we agreed to a deal of $1950. A whopping $50 profit. A watch dealer was born. It was tough in the beginning as I had no prior experience dealing and I was trying to make a few dollars here and there. This was all happening before Covid so times were different. I remember those Offerup days (a seller platform), trying to buy and sell on the app. That’s how Danny and I met initially.
Tyler and James Buckley on 47th st.
DVW: Vookums Tik Tok blew up and it’s quite entertaining! (Of course, because Danny is in it..) congrats on that. What did you expect when growing Vookum’s online presence?
Honestly, I just wanted to sell some watches. I wanted to post watches on Instagram and just sell them. I didn't care for Tik Tok, but here we are. I didn't think the Tik Toks would go this far in popularity, but I’m glad that they’re entertaining and educational to other people. I didn’t strategically plan all of this out, it kind of just happened. In the beginning, I was just posting to see where it goes, but now James and I are trying to become more thoughtful with our content in terms of our style of video. It’s cool to meet people from all over, make connections, and do some business from the platform. It’s essentially a tool for me, but remember, it’s not as easy as it looks!
DVW: You also run Vookum’s notorious Facebook group, one of the more active watch groups for trading, and the more exclusive Vookum WhatsApp chat for dealers only. Give us the "behind the scenes" on what it's like managing these accounts and being the mediator.
It’s a lot of responsibility to be a mediator/ admin for both the Facebook group and dealer WhatsApp chat. I’m dealing with so much bulls*** honestly. From the dealers to the end users, I’ve had my fair share of stupidity in terms of mediating, removing people, etc. I’m a pretty fair guy, but if lines are crossed, it's just protocol at that point. I’ll give you an example. There’s this dealer (he thinks he’s a dealer) who reaches out to me trying to sell me a watch. I gave him an offer. He scoffs and says he’s good. A few days later, he comes back to me trying to make the deal work. We ended up making a deal, but get this: the deal almost went through because of a SHIPPING LABEL. Watch dealers know exactly what I’m talking about. Get this: $50-100 or a shipping label in this case won't close the deal. That shi* pisses me off, but I have to deal with it every day, it's just part of the game.
I have expectations with the Vookum Facebook group and dealer WhatsApp chat. There are set rules in place that my admin and I enforce. I even kicked Danny out of the groups once in a while because why not. There is entitlement in these Facebook groups so we’re here to clean that up. As these groups get bigger, it's just more back-end mediation on the admin’s side as there are always internal issues between dealers, end users, etc.
DVW: You’re inspiring a lot of young kids like our age to do what we do, what do you have to say about that?
I get DMs and messages on Tik Tok every day about this: I want to sell watches, I want to get into the business. Any pointers?” It’s nice to see that I’m inspiring people and shedding light on what I do for a living, but it's not what it seems to be. My words of advice to everyone wanting to sell watches: “reevaluate your decision to join this business”. It's not what it seems to be on Tik Tok, Instagram, youtube, etc. Be valuable to other people. I don’t say this to scare people away from the business. I don't care what people do, but don’t just think that you can just find a watch and sell it for higher, just like that. There’s shi* behind the scenes that no one sees. The arguing, the misleading dealers, and even the cheating. It’s a sketchy business and it's not for everyone. Anyone can start this business, but can you last? There are people on 47th st that you think are friendly and helpful, but will take your money with a smile. There are a lot of sharks out there. My recommendation is to find someone you trust that you can go to for advice, knowledge, etc. BE VALUABLE to the OGs of the watch business, and that goes for any business.
DVW: Your persona on Tik Tok is contagiously entertaining. Are you like this in real life?
I don't feel like a character in real life, despite people telling me I’m a character. What you see is what you get. Tyler Mikorski, making deals with watch dealers, trying to make some money. I’m not trying to be anything that I’m not, that’s just how I am. It is what it is. I’m gonna still do my thing, with or without the camera, but the world just so happens to see it. I’m not as tough as people make me out to be. Again, I just want to sell watches and have a consistent way of doing it, whether it be Instagram, Tik Tok, or going dealer to dealer on the street.
DVW: Any goals you have in mind besides Vookum? What does the future look like?
I do have 2 things specifically in mind for Vookum, but I can't disclose that yet. In terms of my future, I just want to retire by 30 on the beach not having to do this shi* anymore. This business is grueling. As cliche as it is, I don't care. I just want to make money
*DVW’s take: Tyler is onto something in terms of growing and developing a different kind of network/ community for all people in the space from watch dealers, collectors, and the novice just getting into the hobby. Similar to the more traditional watch forums that some people are used to, Vookum is a great alternative platform for people just getting into the hobby and wanting to learn more about watches or the watch industry as a whole. It will be interesting to watch Vookum’s next steps in both the watch world and its rapid popularity on Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok.
