Many online returns are caused by mismatches between what consumers see online and what they actually receive. This paper discusses e-sellers’ use of purchase-risk notices (PRNs) for possible mismatches as a preemptive action to avoid returns. Two one-factor (purchase-risk notice: presence vs. absence) scenario experiments were conducted via two studies (Study 1 and Study 2). The pre-purchase effects and post-purchase effects of PRNs were examined in Study 1 and Study 2, respectively. One-way ANOVAs were used to test the hypotheses. It was found that returns can be avoided by using PRNs without negatively affecting consumers’ purchase intentions. Additionally, using PRNs can make consumers more tolerant of minor mismatches, attract more repurchases, and reduce consumers’ dissatisfaction and regret about purchase decisions.