Salvage should be evaluated at the loss site, during the contents inventory — not after the claim is measured. US Claims Solutions identifies recoverable property while consultants are already recording it item by item, because property discarded before evaluation cannot be recovered at any later point, and equipment with a strong secondary market is routinely scrapped by default.
The window closes with the dumpster
Salvage value exists only while the property does. Once contents leave the site with general debris, the recovery is gone and no subsequent decision can retrieve it. That window is short on a commercial loss: mitigation crews work quickly, demolition follows, and the default disposition for damaged contents is disposal. Evaluating at the point of inventory is the only reliable way to catch it, because it is the one moment when every item is being handled and recorded by someone whose job is to look at it closely.
Damaged does not mean worthless
Buyers exist for property that is unusable to the insured. Machinery with fire damage to guarding and wiring retains value in its castings, drives and major components. Water-damaged electronics carry board-level and component value. Smoke-exposed retail stock sells outside the insured trade area where brand protection allows. Structural steel, racking, copper and stainless have commodity value regardless of condition. The question is never whether the property still works — it is whether anyone will pay for it in its current state.
Evaluating during inventory costs almost nothing
A consultant recording manufacturer, model, serial number and condition has already gathered everything a salvage evaluation needs. Adding a disposition marker — retain, restore, sell as salvage, or certified destruction — is a marginal step at that moment and a separate mobilisation afterwards. That is why the two belong in one process rather than as sequential engagements. It also means the salvage lot is described in the same specifics buyers need to bid against, rather than as a general description of damaged goods.
Early identification allows segregation
Property flagged during the walk can be moved to a protected area rather than left exposed to weather, further water, or continued handling. Condition deteriorates fast after a loss: corrosion advances on bare metal within days, and equipment left in standing water loses value that was recoverable on day one. Segregation also stops salvageable property being cleaned by a restoration vendor at the insured expense when it was never going back into service. Segregated property can also be inspected by prospective buyers without disrupting mitigation, which shortens the marketing period.
How US Claims Solutions handles it
USCS evaluates recoverable property during the inventory, researches the relevant markets, solicits qualified buyers, manages competitive bidding, coordinates removal and logistics, and documents the final disposition. The work is performed at the direction of the carrier, adjuster or insured. The company does not negotiate, adjust or settle claims. Each lot carries a record of what sold, to whom, for how much and when it was removed, with destruction certificates where the property could not re-enter the market.