Third party sellers using the Amazon Marketplace have been told that, from Monday August 6, their returns policies must be in line with the company's own as a minimum.

This means all online retailers, no matter what the size of their operations, must allow customers 30 days to return a product they have changed their mind about buying, and refund the cost.

Tamebay.com's Chris Dawson pointed out that, at present, Amazon's returns policy means that a seller can currently ask a buyer to meet the cost of returning goods, and only get a refund on the cost of the goods themselves, and not the postage.

Sellers are unlikely to find that the extended deadline for returning goods is unlikely to make much difference, he added, but because of potential inconvenience and for an increase in returns, Dawson says, "I doubt too many Amazon sellers will be happy with this announcement."

With speculation that Amazon will soon press sellers to offer a same-day delivery service, he adds that "they'll treat returns in the same manner and aim to be the best in the business".