New Phone

So, I'm really interested in this phone. It gets great reviews, and most are already set up for service with Schmingular, which happens to be my provider. The problem is that this phone is no longer listed as an available phone on the company's site, and even on eBay, they're about $250.

One thing I don't know: If I get one of these phones on eBay (some are locked, some are advertised as unlocked), how much will it cost me to take one of those lovely little phones to a shop and have it activated as my phone on my current plan? The hubby already got a new phone in July, and renewed the plan for another two years, too, so I won't be extending our plan.

Second thing I don't know: I hear that the provider has these phones refurbed for much much cheaper, but I can't find anything about that anywhere. Is this true?

Is there someone out there who can help me with this info? Any help would be greatly appreciated.