When goods are damaged, refused, or recovered, someone has to put a number on what remains and physically remove it. Until both happen, the claim stays open and storage keeps accruing. Salvage buying exists to close that gap quickly.
What Salvage Recovery Does
Salvage recovery reduces the net loss on a claim. Whatever the goods realise offsets what the carrier or insurer pays out. Two constraints shape it: the recovery has to be defensible, and the removal has to be prompt, because storage is a running cost against the file.
In salvage, a fast credible number usually beats a slow optimistic one. Every week of delay eats the recovery it was supposed to protect.
Why the Clock Dominates
Damaged freight sitting at a terminal accrues storage. Goods in a warehouse after a water event keep degrading. A refused shipment occupies dock space someone is paying for.
That's why salvage bids move on a different timescale from ordinary closeout buying. A bid within a day or two of receiving photos and a location is normal here, and it's what the situation requires — a leisurely quoting cycle can easily consume more in storage than it gains in price.
How Salvage Gets Priced
Salvage lots are priced as a blend, because partial recovery is the norm. The variables:
- Exposure type. Water, smoke, crush, and temperature all behave differently. Sealed goods on the interior of a pallet frequently survive when the exterior doesn't.
- Category. Electronics tolerate water exposure poorly. Hard goods and tools tolerate it far better.
- Packaging. Whether original cartons are intact affects both value and handling cost.
- Proportion recoverable. Rarely all or nothing, which is why blended pricing is standard.
- Location and access. Terminal pickups differ from warehouse pickups.
Documentation That Closes Files
The commercial side is only half of it. Adjusters and carriers need paperwork that stands up to review: what was sold, to whom, for how much, and when it was removed. A buyer who provides that cleanly saves the file weeks.
Tell your buyer what your process requires up front. Formats differ between carriers, insurers, and estates, and matching the requirement at the start is far easier than reconstructing it afterward. See salvage and insurance claims.
Brand Restrictions on Salvage
Where a brand owner is involved, restrictions frequently apply — and they're usually reasonable. A manufacturer generally doesn't want water-exposed goods carrying their name reaching consumers.
Standard arrangements include delabeling before resale, export-only placement, restriction to specific channels, or destruction of branded packaging with the goods sold unbranded. All of these are workable. What causes problems is a restriction that surfaces after the sale rather than before. Put it in writing at the start and it becomes a term — see what to check before signing.
Have a claim needing disposition? Send photos, the location, and your timeline and we'll come back quickly.
Frequently asked questions
How quickly can a salvage lot be bid?
Usually within a day or two of photos, a location, and a description of the exposure. Salvage runs on the clock because storage accrues against the claim, so quoting cycles are compressed compared with ordinary closeout buying.
Do you buy loads where only part is recoverable?
Yes, and that's the normal case. Partial-recovery lots are priced as a blend, which is cleaner than sorting on the dock and arguing over which pallets count.
What documentation do adjusters usually need?
What was sold, to whom, for how much, and when it was removed. Formats vary between carriers, insurers, and estates, so state the requirement up front and it can be matched from the start.
Can salvaged branded goods be kept out of certain markets?
Yes. Delabeling, export-only placement, channel restriction, and destruction of branded packaging are all standard. The requirement needs to be in writing before the sale, not raised afterward.