I have done this once or twice. Characters that I invested slotting of Set IOs in at an early point (pre-30) then discovered that I wasn't having fun with the character which placed it in the scrap pile. Buy needed Set IO recipes with any reward merits or execute the tedious transfer withing account, then I strip them using a respec, trade set IOs, salvage recipes and influence and anything else sitting in them to a mule. THEN DELETE. In rare cases where I have a character that I ran to 50 and either tolerated or liked but lost pleasure in playing, they are stripped like the others then sent to Everlasting.
The Mule then divies out the Set IOs to those in need based on my spreadsheet or dumps them in the Base Bin.