Ebates can deduct cash back that it has paid to your account if you return the item. This doesn't always happen, but generally, if you return an item, you will lose your cash back. I say generally, because this is based on each store's policies and can vary in some cases. For exchanges, your best bet to ensure that you keep your cash back is to return the product, then buy it again using a new Ebates shopping trip. You can do this by clicking the link again or using their plugin to activate their affiliate session.