Remember those dirt-cheap refurbished iPhones we mentioned you could snag in-store? Well it looks like AT&T has decided to share the bounty with the public at large, and has begun taking orders for the $249 8GB models online. If you've been on the fence, here's your chance to get in for $150 less than retail (and sadly for you early adopters, a whopping $350 tumble in price). In our experience, you can grab one in person with no activation, though it looks like you'll have to sign on the dotted line to have it delivered.

Update: According to our commenters, you can get these mailed to you activation / contract free.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Oh sure, Apple's been offering up a couple of refurbished iPhones on its own web store for some time now, but actually finding one in stock has proven to be quite a challenge. Nevertheless, a purported internal memo has explained that select AT&T stores in the New England region (sorry, rest of the solar system) will be stocking refurbished iPhones for $199 (4GB) and $249 (8GB) -- of course, the deal only applies to new activations. Has anyone actually seen this go down first hand? We wonder how quickly it'll be before this offer bleeds out from the Northeast.

Although you may be accustomed to picking up your used wares from locales such as GameStop, Target is hoping that the scavengers of all things pre-owned will stop by its online electronics site, too. The retailer is currently testing online sales of used gizmos, including iPods, camcorders and HDTVs. Reportedly, the company made the call to start selling these goods after noticing that many returned items came back in "perfect working order," but it has yet to decide whether it will continue the business. We also heard that refurbished consoles would be up for grabs, but after running a quick search, we came up empty handed. Still, we'd be awfully careful before we ordered, say, a pre-owned iPod, from Target -- you really never know what you're gonna get.

If you want to run the risk of getting stuck with the iPhone we sent back because the proximity sensor crapped out (that's another story for another time), get ready to grab yourself a deal. Refurbished iPhones now look to be in stock at the online Apple Store, the supposed result of a nice, stiff mix of iReturners and busted devices. Both the 4GB and 8GB refurb units are being offered at $100 off -- $399 and $499, respectively -- making the 4GB model the slightly better value at a full 20 percent off its MSRP. Not a bad discount, as long as they got around to fixing that bum sensor.

[Via TUAW]