www.sausagemaking.org

I recently purchased smoked sausage from a local butcher shop and they advised that the sausage still needed to be cooked. I've been under the impression that smoked was ready to eat. Do you suspect that it was cold smoked for flavor only?

In short, yes.

would it not depend on the kind of smoked sausage you are talking about. spanish chorizo isn't even smoked, and it is eaten uncooked/raw. for years i have made cold smoked hungarian "bratwurst" ie thin hungarian sausage, both fermented and not fermented, and have eaten it uncooked. butchers here used to sell that same product for years, and it was eaten uncooked ie raw.
so, what kind of smoked sausage are you describing? in my opinion, using good sanitary practices, and cure, and proper salt, a cold smoked sausage can be eaten uncooked ie raw [although it has to dry in a cool place]. in fact, i have cold smoked american style bacon hanging in my basement, and whenever i feel like it, i just cut a slice and eat it uncooked, with/without a sprinkling of paprika. absolutely delicious. the cooking advice may only be given for the butcher's legal protection. an excellent butcher here stamps the wrapper of all of his home-made smoked sausage as "not to be eaten raw." i've ignored that for 20 years and have noticed no problem. others may disagree.

Agree that it depends but based on the comment below from the butcher I think there is little doubt in this case it is a fresh smoked sausage....

"and they advised that the sausage still needed to be cooked."

If the butcher advised that this particular sausage still needed to be cooked, I'd trust the butcher to know the product. In this case, the panoply of smoked sausages in the world is beside the point.