A WebmasterWorld member is in a bit of trouble because he feels that there are no relevant sites for his ecommerce shop. Obviously, since search engines like relevant links, this is a bit of a challenge for those who can't possibly have relevant sites.
There are numerous reactions to this comment. First of all, the WWW is so vast that it's hardly believable that there are no relevant sites. And if there aren't, it's probably not a very competitive area either, is it?
One forum member adds that link profile is more important than the context of the sites linking to you. Another advises to widen the scope of links you're looking for.
Many are too nervous to get links from irrelevant sites. They believe that it substantially helps their rankings.
Forum discussion continues at WebmasterWorld.