So,

My cousin lives in Austria and I live in California. He would like me to purchase an unlocked 3g iphone and ship it to him. Presumably he would use it on the T-Mobile network. I don't really know the best way to legally acquire the phone. I assume that if I walk into an AT&T store, I'm hooked into a 1 year or 2 year contract, right? Also, I'd prefer to unlock the phone legally, if that is possible. On ebay, there are a boatload of unlocked 3g iphones available for about $1k. Wouldn't these sellers have a monthly plan and the associated contractual obligation to AT&T?

Your thoughts appreciated.

Robert