You do not have to be a professional writer to create information products for selling on eBay and other Online Auction sites.

You may think you have nothing informative to write about but think again. Do you have a favorite family recipe, a time saving way of washing the car, an understanding of the tax system or a fool proof way of dematting your dog?

All of these could potentially make you some money.

Sit down and think about the things you do everyday. Is there something you could describe in simple language, perhaps with a few pictures or sketches that would benefit other people?

When you come up with an idea, jot down a brief outline. This only needs to be a few sentences and serves to focus your mind on the idea. Now start to flesh out the idea. Keep the language simple and read over it as you go to make sure it makes sense.

When you have written it out, read through the whole thing carefully. Check for spelling mistakes, incorrect grammar and using unnecessary words – spell check will do most of this work for you but read through it just to be sure.

Once you are happy with the written content you can add pictures or scan in sketches if desired. These will enhance the project but are not essential.

Now is the time to start laying out the work. Add a title page using a short, snappy title. The next page could contain a brief description of you as the author and why you are the expert in this particular instance. This is not necessary and can be left out if you prefer. The contents page is important. Break your document into sections dealing with the different stages or steps etc in the information.

Make sure any pictures are in the most appropriate place and if you are using downloaded pictures, that you have written permission to use these.

Check your whole document and adjust it until you are happy with the layout. Get a friend to look over it and give you an honest opinion. Do not be upset be any constructive criticism. This is offered to help you. Distructive critcism on the other hand should be completely ignored.

Make any necessary changes. Now comes the magic moment! Convert your file to a pdf document. This can be done by visiting the adobe website. This must not be done until you are 100% happy with the document as you will not be able to make changes after the document is converted.

Now all you have to do is write a great description, decide on the price and you are ready to list. Your description should include the reasons your information will benefit the buyer. People pay for benefits much quicker than they do for features. For eg, “this information will help you to save time” is a benefit but “the information is written in black type on a white background” is a feature.

Point out as many of the benefits as possible so that your potential buyer will feel they will gain something by spending money. Make sure your price reflects the benefits. If you offer the item too cheaply the value of the information will be diminished.

List your item under the Buy it Now format as this will be more appropriate and help to increase sales through impulse buying.

What are you waiting for? Get that idea down on paper!