You wouldn't know, but you could ask in advance and show a prompt otherwise.

Geolocation based on IP.

I guess it depends on countries, usually IP geolocation here (Italy) for landlines can be off by hundreds of kms.

Doesn't matter as long as the country is correct.

Only if logged out or course, if logged in you can display the price for the default address.

the easiest (not the best) way is to display the highest cost then lowering it on checkout.

but a german store shipping to germans could just list the in-germany shipping cost. It would be correct for all germans.

German shipping companies charge the same for everybody in the country, no matter the distance?

Yes and that is true for most countries.

It is not true for the United States. The cost varies based on the distance between the shipper and the receiver. Shipping from New York to New Jersey is much less expensive than from New York to San Francisco.

I know, it's just how it works for most countries, because most countries are smaller than the US and often the national post offices have a mandate to treat remote parts the same way as the more accessible parts.

Because the countries are so small? In the USA, you could be shipping 30 miles or 3000 miles (not counting including Alaska and Hawaii).

That's insanely inefficient

The stated goal is often to help the more remote parts, even if it costs more to ship to a small town in Brittany than to Paris.

Yes, we all understand the goal for the national post. USPS charges the same for a first-class letter no matter what and has some flat-rate options based on size. But even they discriminate based on location on most packages. And we're talking about private sellers who are incented to minimize costs, using private shipping companies.

It might be different in the US but in most places I know, the national carrier is cheapest and the private ones like FedEx or TNT are used for special requirements, like faster shipping or special dimensions. There are a few cheap private shipping companies but they are also flat rate.

It's close enough. I'd expect last mile delivery to be the biggest cost driver anyways.

Some only ship within the country, listing the shipping cost directly. Others link to their page listing the shipping costs, which could be e.g. having costs for each country with a "free if over XX EUR" note.

Many commerce sites estimate your location by IP address, and give a shipping cost and time estimate right out. They of course allow you to enter your real address and get a more precise figure.

I find it useful.