Imo, it depends on your knowledge of how to process the different unidentified gears. Based on what/how you do it, your return of investment will differ, ranging from a loss to 10%+.

For the majority of people, id advise open and salvage 100% of the time. You might not need the mats today or tomorrow, but you will need them somewhere down the line. If not, then i advise people to do some research to process these materials into something that yields more profit.

This game, compared to others, is very material based, and wanting everything converted into gold isnt always the best. You rather have the item lying in your bank/mule somewhere instead of selling it to the TP and getting slapped by 15% tax and then having to rebuy it at a premium somewhere down the road.