diff --git a/raindrop/raindrop/proto/imap/sync.py b/raindrop/raindrop/proto/imap/sync.py
--- a/raindrop/raindrop/proto/imap/sync.py
+++ b/raindrop/raindrop/proto/imap/sync.py
@@ -27,16 +27,17 @@ from email.utils import mktime_tz, parse
 import time
 import re
 import Queue
 import datetime
 
 from raindrop.proto.imap.objects import ImapFolder, ImapFolderMessage, ImapFolderMessageFlag
 from raindrop.model import ContentIdentity
 from raindrop.model.storage import with_storage_retry, get_storage
+from raindrop.model import UTC
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 # we fetch this many bytes or this many messages, whichever we hit first.
 MAX_BYTES_PER_FETCH = 500000
 MAX_MESSAGES_PER_FETCH = 100
 
 def normalize_mid(msg_id):
@@ -433,15 +434,15 @@ class ImapSyncer(object):
             msgid = mid_by_uid[uid]
             logger.debug("new imap message %r", msgid)
             self.producer.produce(msgid, content)
             num += 1
         return num
 
     def should_fetch_message(self, msg):
         if self.options.max_age:
-            if msg.date < datetime.datetime.now() - datetime.timedelta(seconds=self.options.max_age):
+            if msg.date < datetime.datetime.now(UTC()) - datetime.timedelta(seconds=self.options.max_age):
                 logger.log(1, 'skipping message - too old')
                 return False
         if not msg.mid:
             logger.debug("msg has no message ID - skipping: %r", msg.uid)
             return False
         return True