I'm copying/pasting some of this from comments I left on another forum...
I have quite a few U figures (among other vintage SW collectibles - including MOC). For me, its about knowing that the figure has not been played with, drooled over, thrown in a sandpit, whatever. Also I know for sure that the weapons/accessories are genuine. I also have some non-U figures. Certainly most of them are not U90s and I would never pay the kind of silly prices people are talking about on the other thread for them. I have also never submitted anything for grading, nor would I ever.
I certainly don't collect the label, I collect a toy that has been authenticated to be genuine and in good condition, with guaranteed orginal accesories, that I know has not been maltreated in some playground or in some kids filthy bed.
The fact that U90s command such high prices suggests that they remain rare. The lesser grades - 80s, 85s, 90s, U80s, and even many of the U85s don't command such premiums (when you look at what they actually sell for - not what they are advertised at). If U90s didn't sell for such high amounts, surely the mass submissions wouldn't be worthwhile. I would like to think there can't be that many people seeking to collect only U90s, for these huge sums. If they started selling for £30-£40 rather than the £100 or more they currently seem to go for, then it would become far less attractive for dealers to continue mass submitting.
So, assuming that U grades will not be banned outright.... and assuming that most reasonable folk, whether they be U grade collectors or not, recognise that destroying of hundreds of MOC/baggies every month (whatever the number is) is damaging the long-term future of the hobby, what is at the heart of the issue and what could be the solution?
AFA U submission guidelines would be good start. i.e. AFA first assesses whether the carded fig would grade at a level above AFA 60 or something before they proceeded to open it. However, I see people's point in that some folk might destroy cards before sending them in.
Seems to me the crux of the problem is the distorted value that the market is currently placing on U90s.
Therefore, assuming that the U grade won't be banned outright, perhaps folk could lobby for the classification to be modified. Perhaps AFA authentication (of figures with correct accessories) alone (rather than grades) of loose figures is the way to go. AFA could differentiate between U and non-U if it wants, but the numeric grade is stripped in respect of U figures... That way all these U90s.... would not exist and would not have any more value than what the significantly more common U85/U80s have. Market saturation of regular 'U' designations (with no grade) would kill the market value, meaning it might not be worthwhile people submitting the better conditioned cards. So, in summary, loose AFA 80, 85, 90 etc still exist, but loose 'U' figures are only designated 'U', with no numeric grade. This would eliminate the rabid search for U90s at the expense of lesser graded figures.
Just my musings.
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