There are a lot of people hunting for very few jobs, it's an employers market at the moment.

That's a pretty bad comparison. You aren't agreeing to work without knowing your pay. It's more like looking at a house before you know it's price.

Depending on your circumstances, that might be reasonable. If most people aren't quoting pay ranges and you need a job, not applying because of that isn't very smart.

I would make sure I knew the pay range before going through all the interview rounds, but not sending your CV in sounds too limiting to me.