So what exactly is the public domain? Basically, it's any work that no longer has any copyright attached to it. For example, anything written prior to 1923 is automatically a part of the public domain. For example, a work by a favorite author from the 1800's is in the public domain. You can find tons of books, images, short stories, music, movies. . .whatever your imagination can come up with.

Okay, I know what you're asking. So what? How does that affect me? This is how. Did you know that any of those materials you can locate that are royalty free are yours for the taking for you to do anything you wish? Wait. Does that mean I can get stuff for free and resell it? That's right. What could be better? Find it and sell it on eBay. Find it and sell it on your own website. Find it and sell it however you wish.

But here's the catch. If you want to sell clip art (or anything else) from the public domain, make sure it's not a collection someone else put together. In that respect, it may be subject to copyright. That can work to your advantage, though. It means you can put together a collection of short stories, for example, and copyright it because it's your collection.

So where do I get all of this wonderful material and be assured it doesn't belong to anyone else? That's a matter for another article. Right now, I just want to acquaint you with the possibilities that exist.

Again, anything before 1923 is fair game. Anything after that and you have to do a little research, but it's not tough. We'll get into the research part another time. But just know this -- it's even possible to get materials written within hours of now that are in the public domain. The source? The federal government! Why? Because materials put out by government agencies are meant for public consumption. It's a beautiful thing.

Once you're turned on to the sources, all you need is an eBay account, and you can start making money in no time. The biggest thing, though, is just to make sure what you have doesn't belong to anyone else. Later on, I'll reveal some of those sources to you.

Imagine being able to download episodes of Bonanza, for example, burning them on a DVD, and selling them! I know of a guy who found an old (I mean old) professional wrestling course, set up a simple website, and sells nothing else. And he's making a very good living off of it. You can too.

I'll be revealing some other tips and tricks in later articles. The public domain truly is a wonderful thing. I was amazed when I was first shown this. Imagine making money on things you can get for free. Too cool! More later.