I read the OP several times. I'm pretty sure the OP is saying collecting mats is just too hard. He specifically asks for a nerf (in caps). Please correct me if I misunderstood the OP.
Not intended as a personal attack on the OP or anybody else, but I would be too embarrassed to post on an internet forum that I found collecting engineering mats in ED just too darned hard. Yes the forum is anonymous, doesn't matter.
Intentional misinterpretation is a key rhetorical strategy of sycophants and sock-puppets.
What is being discussed here is the imbalance of USS drops which make particular collections exceedingly difficult. This is implicitly acknowledged by said sychophants and sock-puppets when asserting material traders solves the problem.
One can hold that a rebalancing is in order as a legitimate topic touching upon game design and wasted play time.