I was happy to learn that I could get a replacement earbud but the cost is like 40% of the earbuds' original price which is steep, so in the end I decided to spring a bit for the newer model that happens to be on sale

my current pair now minus one had a good run of slightly over 3 years - never mind that 2 of those years were pandemic years lmao - so I'll just soothe myself with that thought OTL