Calcutta has emerged as a city of collectors in a country-wide survey of online buying trends by the Indian arm of shopping website eBay.

Calcuttans buy more stamps, World First Day Covers, Indian currency notes and stock and money market memorabilia dating back to the early 1900s than residents of other parts of India.

The survey, covering all states and Union territories, ranked Calcutta behind only Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai in terms of the number of people buying and selling online.

“The survey was conducted to identify how Indians are buying and selling online,” said Ambareesh Murty, the country manager of eBay India.

“Central Calcutta residents, who have bought the maximum number of stamps and coins, have contributed the most in making Calcutta a collectors’ hub. They also buy movies and books,” added Murty.

The survey has brought to the fore the difference in online shopping lists across the city.

While the most preferred items for online buyers in north Calcutta are georgette saris, handicrafts, bangles and perfumes, those in the south prefer diamonds, pen drives, portable music players and battery-operated body massagers.

Online buyers in Howrah and the other suburbs prefer MP3 players, men’s innerwear and Samsung mobile phones, which, Murty said, was a trend unique to Calcutta.

The city is ranked second in terms of orders for customised gifts — from T-shirts with slogans of choice to coffee mugs with pictures or names.

Online traders in Calcutta are not lagging behind either. Last year, they sold the maximum number of alternative energy products in the country. “Calcuttans are helping the country go green by selling the maximum number of alternative energy products like solar panels, solar water heaters and solar roti makers,” said Murty.

Diamonds seem to be the best friends of the average online buyer in Calcutta. The precious stones are the most popular online purchase in the city followed by Indian stamps, pen drives and portable media players.

“I get five to six orders on an average every day. I have received orders for diamonds from as far as Belgium, which is the largest exporter of diamonds in the world. I even get offers from Surat,” said Navneet K. Gupta, who sells jewellery on eBay.