Replacing Laptop Motherboard

[Jt00]

I've got a Toshiba Satellite L855-S5280P that I got in 2012 and the motherboard has gone dead. I can't even get a power LED to turn on when it's plugged in, and after having tested it myself and had a friend who repairs computers for a living confirm, the issue is definitely with the motherboard. I'd like to replace the motherboard, but my friend warned me that the only replacements I would be able to find would either be used motherboards or would come from China. He said that the latter tends not to work most of the time and that I would probably be better off buying a new laptop than repairing this one.
Buying a new laptop wouldn't be an issue for me, but I would like to save money if possible and I hate to throw away a computer that's perfectly good except for one broken part. In your experience, is there much of a risk involved in buying a replacement motherboard for a laptop?

 

[USAFRet]

You can only use a motherboard specifically for that laptop. There are no 'generics', like with a desktop.

For a 4 year old laptop, yeah, probably all you're going to find is used.

 

[Jt00]

Right, I understand that you can only use that specific motherboard. There are a lot of replacement motherboards marketed as refurbished, are those worth looking into?

 

[USAFRet]

Right, I understand that you can only use that specific motherboard. There are a lot of replacement motherboards marketed as refurbished, are those worth looking into?

Refurbished by whom?
By the manufacturer? Sure, no problem.
By the seller? Yeah, all he did was blow some dust off.

 

[jarotech]

Hi, the problem could be simply a fuse.