I wondered the same thing. The only thing I could think of is that the 8GB models are in such high demand because of the cost, that they can't keep them in stock. Last week, someone posted on the board that they'd purchased one and advised to just keep checking because they show in and out of stock. I think I checked their site daily for about a week before they came back in stock. The only explanation I could come up with is that they refurbish them in "batches" for lack of a better word and make them available once they have a certain quantity in stock. The morning that I purchased the one for my niece, the Apple store's homepage advertised that refurbished IPODS were available from $149.00. However, once I clicked on the ad, I was taken to the refursbished 16GB model. It wasn't until about 3 hours later that the 8GB were actually available on the website. HTH!