Survey shows Austrians like to collect things

Austrians like to collect things - books, magazines and videos in particular.

That's according to a survey released Thursday.

The survey said that more than half of Austria's citizens are collectors with an average annual spending of 850 euros (about 1,082 U.S. dollars) for their collections.

The survey, conducted by Ebay, showed that 58 percent of those queried admitted that they are collectors and only 17 percent said they had never thought about collecting.

Seventeen percent of the respondents said books, caricatures and magazines are their most favored collections, while 15 percent expressed interest in coins, 14 percent in music CDs, video discs, video tapes and video games, and 13 percent in stamps.

Glassware, porcelain and tableware also make up a large percentage of Austrians' collections. Paintings, photographs, archival documents, rocks and ores are favored.

In addition, recipes are widely collected and ranked in the top 10 collections of Austria.

Thanks to the development of the Internet and the improvement of related credit protection measures, online transactions have become an increasingly important way for to collect.

About 55 percent of Austria's collectors have traded online. A great variety of options, rapid transactions and reasonable prices have been recognized as the three major advantages for collecting through the Internet.

In addition to the Internet, stores and flea markets remain important places for collectors.

Source: Xinhua