You can get a self-install battery for an iPod for under $30...
That’s not the point. For the money I paid for both items back then, I should not have had to purchase any “accessories” to get more than 18 months use out of them. And self-replacement batteries for iPods back in the mid 90’s were unheard of. Shoddy workmanship, bait-and-switch like sales philosophy, and the birkenstock/granola eating/latte sipping culture they promote is not for me.