The phrase "prefer to collect" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when you are referring to someone's inclination or liking to acquire or gather things. For example, "John prefers to collect rare coins".
Interior designers prefer to collect high-concept, architectural-looking products by Philippe Prive.
While real Israelis prefer to collect Saint Etienne b-sides and argue about what's the best episode of The Comic Strip Presents.
Some, however, prefer to collect stamps with fanciful depictions, such as butterfly carnival costumes, a butterfly in the movie Bambi (on Bambi's nose), or a "fly speck" insect in the beak of a bird.
Officials of the Hackensack Meadowlands Development Commission, which controls planning in the area, have said they would prefer to collect rental fees from developed property rather than continue operating dumps.
Ezzat Naem Guindy, a Garbage City resident who runs Spirit of Youth Association, a local NGO, believes a strong minority would prefer to collect waste that has been segregated.
While there are ways to do it online, I prefer to collect a large stack of magazines and cut and paste the old-fashioned way.
In comparing the information obtained using urine, the author found that, for serial studies, the women greatly preferred to collect daily timed specimens of urine than to present for daily blood collection.
The institute prefers to collect single projects.
He prefers to collect vehicles that are out of the ordinary and enjoys watching peoples' reactions when they encounter the Chaikas and Zim.
The tassel-eared squirrel, which hoards twigs of ponderosa pines for winter food, prefers to collect twigs low in α-pinene (a monoterpene).
"The original Looney Tunes was the best music store I ever went to," said Ryan, who has 7,000 songs on his iPod, from Johnny Cash to Slayer, but still prefers to collect CDs.
