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Hey all, looking for some perspective on the ethics side of dealing with insurance adjusters.
I recently had a garage fire that damaged or destroyed a lot of my stuff. The tricky part is that a huge portion of what I owned wasn’t bought new — a lot of it was secondhand, picked up cheap, or even rescued from “trash to treasure” situations and fixed up.
Now I’m going through the claims process, and I’m struggling with what’s fair vs what’s technically allowed.
On one hand, replacing these items today would cost way more than what I originally paid (if I paid anything at all). On the other hand, it feels weird to claim “full replacement value” on things I got for next to nothing.
So my questions:
Is it considered ethical to claim the full replacement cost of an item, even if you originally got it very cheaply or free?
How do adjusters typically view items without receipts or clear purchase value?
Where do you personally draw the line between being fairly compensated vs. taking advantage of the situation?
Any tips on documenting value for items that were restored, repaired, or repurposed?
Not looking to scam anything — just trying to understand what’s reasonable and honest in a situation like this.
Appreciate any insight.
TL;DR: Garage fire destroyed mostly secondhand/free items—what’s the ethical way to claim their value with insurance?